4-2. Ha-eun, Lee Sa-eon, Choi Hee-jun: Age 19 (2)

<Lee Sa-eon>

It was a peaceful 2ff0253ea6 break time, just like d3ba9195c6 always. I gave Eun my chair e9f681e188 and sat perched on the 177a74d591 edge of the desk. While casually fiddling with 6c22ec6548 Eun’s hair as he 03501e8d20 naturally rested his chin a305c40766 on my thigh, it 06036973db happened.f999f554015d0ae4

“Sa-eon, are you free right now? I’ve got a math problem I can’t figure out. I tried reading the explanation, but I still don’t get it… If you’re okay with it, I was wondering if you could help me…”9426bd1ec77770cd

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My deskmate, Hoyeon, 19653ef12d who had been b508ee4b8a studying with her 951d576eff friends a few b5c1e165a2 seats away, walked bbdf74b12e over. She hesitated, like there was ca6d7e9782 something she wanted to say, fd657a47c9 then carefully asked.c21fd7298eddf7e9

I smiled gently at her 4849f6021c shy demeanor and nodded enthusiastically.7189545b96e564d3

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“Yeah, Hoyeon. Of course, I’m good. What are you stuck on? Want me to explain it?”d65868b7cdc52b83

Her face brightened a db6d8cb9ae little at my reply, 8517fa903f and she cautiously held 53d27bbe55 out her workbook. When I looked 28fc26add0 at the problem 4f73a4760d she pointed out, 489424d9d5 thankfully, it was 0df9917526 one I could 9355cb091d explain.9eff306e23ca92d0

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“Oh, this one. It is a bit tricky. I had a hard time solving it too.”7cfc739d92f876f4

“Really?”05fcc8fa99fb7c1d

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“Yeah! But once you know how to solve it, it’s not that bad. You’re good at studying, Hoyeon, so if you just follow the explanation, I’m sure you’ll be solving it on your own in no time.”9d5f0dd743d21450

When I said that e4d6161788 with a soft smile, 784f9917c7 her eyes curved with b9dc71135f a shy grin as 60daa79594 she nodded. Eun, who was still 46bf6413fa leaning on my thigh, ad599d4b06 peeked at the problem. Once he saw it 80552d9e75 was a type that 39e148460f had never really given e529a5cd1a me trouble, he let 1affdb0fb3 out a quiet snort.09c949397780b5f2

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With his finger, Eun 9ae161624d wrote on my thigh: 78ffe01d19 “What struggle?”
I pressed the back 8933de5fdb of his head with 2e601b7770 my fingers, telling him 191563e860 to hush as he 3bedec3ae0 stared up at me.a5e2fd13edc59edc

I started writing f0c9655371 out the steps 02c134c292 in my notebook 50418904e1 and explained it 1b3e434c84 slowly, and just 32d5983acb as I expected, bd98e0e705 Hoyeon caught on 73ded16f24 quickly.d484b856cc043337

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Just in case, I had e10b7493de her try solving it herself, 0973b1463c and she smoothly wrote down 8449eeb072 the solution. She compared her work f06ac106dc and answer with the 2e516ae449 solution guide, then smiled 36b0f09ef5 more comfortably and thanked c568cf3860 me.03e1b0cc82c9dcf4

“Thanks for taking the time. I kept getting stuck on this type and was getting worried.”fedc6407a70ce1e0

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“No problem. You understood it quickly, so it didn’t even take long. If anything else comes up, feel free to ask me anytime.”0ca0a5c583bf2b53

I said lightly, 78b2054416 and Hoyeon’s pale 14202d23ad cheeks turned a e0da0fc770 soft pink as 62a96a8c0f she nodded repeatedly. Not long after she returned 51cf539597 to her seat, Eun, who ce2ef8c3cd had buried his face in 416d553a50 my thigh and was quietly 87ed06dee4 breathing, slowly lifted his head.802eb67b66429b89

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“Isn’t it a hassle?”3dfa58b369433fd8

“What is?”cc35ad0e696ce7a6

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“Helping other people study. You’re busy with your own work—how do you even manage to help everyone else? It’s honestly amazing.”9c669b5f6b829686

At his admiring tone, I e3336c0f74 chuckled and gently rubbed his ebb1128724 flushed cheeks, red from being 07d1edc7bf pressed.ef0d13f5c84477e7

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“It’s not really a hassle. Explaining it helps me review too. And more than anything, everyone always asks so carefully. They try not to bother me, so how could it be annoying?”0201cf339f34956a

When I answered bec2fe597e in a soft 946e2fb0db voice, he still 94aed6efaa furrowed his brows ba0e967f48 like he didn’t 22e15a32f2 get it. Just as I was cfab0961cf about to press on 8b21f11a24 the frown in his a8dbb093cc forehead and tell him fa130caded to relax, someone outside 0c4bb2cac6 called out to Eun.008d408123296b21

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I blinked at the unfamiliar ebf8e7189f voice and looked at him. Eun was staring 8ce35022ac out the door 5344b82bf1 with a strange 7327693b37 expression, like he 2544f712ee already knew who 3c4b7abaa0 it was. Then, sensing my 41fbc2d429 gaze, he turned 870d27ab5d and quietly looked bcbc73d7fe at me. He parted his lips 09b10f87fd for a moment, then 08f38d100a spoke in a slightly 7526f82f91 sunken tone.b10281f6f4f5f428

“I’ll be back in a bit.”5383ba669d525111

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“Okay. A friend?”34ede89887940388

“…Not a friend.”aacac4c6994195e4

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Eun quietly shook his 5e44e2e923 head and got up aa07193a58 from his seat, leaving e4005f5404 the classroom. I followed his back with 337607c181 my eyes for a moment, 7cdbcd0feb then climbed down from the 7d66af6983 desk and sat on the 3bcbe5a2c5 chair.2dd7555ca7773c52

The seat was still 9e0b87a559 warm from where Eun 164e36c454 had just been sitting. Sitting down, I 5e4af3ff5a looked over the 92710810e6 notebook where I f93c3d4c8f had written the d215b2c215 solution to Hoyeon’s 145b975b6b math problem—when someone 3988c7225f tapped me on 3436fdb972 the shoulder.6a14f58589d5a482

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When I looked up, I-ryeong 54ef404b7e was standing beside me. I had no idea when 238a08c482 he’d gotten here. He leaned slightly over 03e491775e the desk to glance 13baf66a87 at the contents of 973f5e1c4f the notebook and muttered, 597797a786 “What’s this?”74c8ba09300ebead

“Someone asked about a problem, so I helped explain it. Want me to explain 4139581af5 it to you too?”4c55220c28ef0507

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I tapped the notebook and grinned playfully. Everyone knew I-ryeong didn’t like math. I knew, Ha-jung knew, Eun knew, Hee-jun knew… basically, it was no secret.d26880190d7e48cc

I was expecting a quick b0c0cf3c0a “no thanks” in return, but 9796e0ba5f he didn’t respond at all. His silence puzzled me, 99552876b1 so I lifted my 89b310a96a gaze to find him 12339d134b looking back and forth 1971ad5d5f between me and the 65e8af94e1 notebook with a troubled b101d101e3 expression.e1988e92a6d822fb

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Just as I 401878ed5f was about to fdef94f6b5 say it was e0644c51d0 a joke, not 65c0b137d1 wanting to burden efd8d1ca8c him with something ddd4227f31 unnecessary, I-ryeong opened 6739e46a4d his mouth first.2fd9a203483ba364

“If you have time, and if you won’t get annoyed even if I don’t get it right away… then I’d like that.”d645ea4b29edac9e

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“…Seriously?”8c90a1b643a131f4

“Yes.”e3d8d6e006c7c0d4

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“Why?”2b1ec0ca6e2eabd0

Genuinely confused, I asked, and da0745dc10 I-ryeong gave a shy little 97b0f3ead4 smile. When he was expressionless, 355d2dc9d0 you could tell he e8c2561ccb was nearing the end 01bae517d9 of childhood, but when 958993dc2b he smiled like that, 425769a0b1 he just looked like f2580b694d a kid.427225dac8d8af72

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“Because then I get to spend more time with you.”19ea30a9dbe6b82f

He said it 59649ef81a like that was 9caf3892bc the whole reason, 5766bc66ed smiling so brightly e96e407cfe that I couldn’t 359d776dac help but burst e35c3e4112 out laughing.b5a8e89e3c7a9ce5

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What am I 3fbffd45f0 supposed to do 3833a866bf with this adorable 053ac32adc kid?8ac25d2fb5b62a99

As I patted dee2e60af7 I-ryeong’s head affectionately, 8d73fdab14 the Korean teacher 3abb7fa4df came into the 1feb2245eb classroom and called fa17473108 out to me.1cddbb044ef49b73

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“Sa-eon, your class has Korean next period, right?”1e203d20d4855abd

“Yes.”0d12b100ebeac669

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“Good. There’s a book I 0da914186b need for the lesson. Can you go to 6e94ac9d91 the library and fetch 516697450c it for me? Just tell the librarian 6c68b4cb4e I sent you—they’ll know 60d4b617f0 which one. It’s a thin book, 7b32800dc4 so it won’t be 77b2de7d85 too heavy.”2e60fe63efe5e63d

“Okay.”1ca1317182b622c8

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“Thanks.”be6c31ce043baac1

I had no choice but 3a1c36803f to slowly get up from 01fac77c92 my seat and leave the 0d350621ec classroom. I-ryeong trailed after me, step 7c6df2f404 for step. Curious how far he’d 3b5accd071 go, I didn’t say 60c211cf07 anything and just let 0e87ee2969 him be—and sure enough, f1d461ca56 he followed me all c0fa045419 the way to the ee74e49f0c library.1e502df53a4aed71

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With my hand on 93f79d8208 the library door handle, 24f9637edb I turned around to 3f69664719 find him standing behind ae2d91a633 me, blinking up at 392e07dcb2 me with innocent eyes.dac822a5f50fc798

“What is it?”a4be2ea7f568a455

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“Uh, why did you come all the way here?”4908d2d7f347baec

“Huh? I came to help you.”2e467226d7ab3eda

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“They said it’s not heavy.”a1319bf178f34d52

“Still. Isn’t it better if we 48b53465b0 carry it together?”db094cafa3d1a19b

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I couldn’t help but laugh 531aaaf2dc at the completely out-of-the-blue “Because 85e660fb3b it’s nice.”
Muttering, “What’s so af9ec95fa0 nice about it?” 98869df35d I still found 3ca278c520 myself walking into 1575dcdc48 the library.ffc9dfb12ed23242

As expected, I-ryeong followed right e097b8f1e7 behind me. The heavy glass 6875b42b7c door typical of ba920613b8 libraries closed with 0fd26a6f23 a soft thud de01be7b61 behind us as b665fee3b8 I looked around 0069c5edf2 for the librarian.6e3c951a48c5537f

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I thought they’d be 1770e6be9a at the desk, but 7378f26fcd the seat was empty—seemed 8287f57c26 they had stepped out. Unsure what to do, d6bf9f681f I glanced around the 2183b92952 library with an awkward 2d89d754cc expression. Just then, a 4b15f09fe8 student who looked fdd4ef1a60 like a library 4543e4b127 aide passed in 9c1a783953 front of me, 1bbdabce76 so I quickly ea2af02e54 called out to fb954b094f him.9b0e9a5d206c3929

“Hey, if you’re not busy, can I ask you something?”341d53017ed9f0ad

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“Oh, yes, sunbae-nim.”e9822d615c470b4a

“Sunbae-nim? Oh, you’re a first-year. Is the librarian in ab0dc8e476 right now?”51b03ae120e076d8

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I was surprised by the 49f7295c4e sudden use of formal speech 1cb1e2b52f and looked down to check 7600b4ea13 his name tag color. Sure enough, he 4cba3b30eb was a first-year. The kid rolled 94424177b5 his eyes around da187a8c08 for a second, 3630ff092d then responded with 710acd6fb2 an “Ah.”048aeffa618fa46e

“She stepped out just a bit ago. Said she’ll be 34d0ccc33b back right after a3fb59a0b0 her call, so 56b7248ab5 if you wait db966526ec a little, she f660620f32 should be here ff3bb15a73 soon.”e8586d518cc4aa24

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“Really? Thanks for letting me know.”987d54d8b1e34472

I thanked him and, c470bfff06 feeling grateful, placed a e745ec604e piece of chocolate from f91a815cae my pocket into his ee769a29b2 hand. The kid’s eyes de9c7f255a went wide in a3aa1d4dbd surprise. At that moment, 650d29b87c while I-ryeong had 498a506eea been silently standing 9d4f2157fe behind me the 7eda650f29 whole time, he f6b946e3cc suddenly said the 29fc02c8d5 teacher was back.3b6f8e621211a4c6

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Hearing that, I straightened 1f47cf3727 up from where I’d 8daa93c82f been slightly bent down e0e37a3c87 to speak at the 25b1ecc2ca younger student’s eye level, c19f9efc7f then turned around.9a10e6da596d7a28

The librarian was stepping 6d81e316ef into the room. Spotting me, she strode inside f832dfbe7e with a smile and said,
“Look who it is! Lee Sa-eon. Here to run an 98687ea0f8 errand, right?”6e96db71b95345e6

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I nodded, and she 6d272ce0af gestured for me to 0cfe4c756b follow as she passed b8d26d90d0 by. With me trailing behind, 6b6ad30b17 she walked over to 2acc7fb862 the desk and handed e674b9a677 me the stack of 05d3c52783 books that had been 000d1efcb4 set aside.7f52eaab111ab02a

“All done. Be careful not 9db6b43b63 to drop them e47f4df248 on the way dc84ce42f1 back. Once class ends, make sure df993e03ec to return them too. And let the others know 97dbb6a6e1 not to doodle or crumple eeb8ab50cf the pages. They’re not elementary schoolers, 8aedbdc0e2 but there’s always someone faae74d151 who scribbles or folds b08050fc58 stuff.”465eee32576996d5

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Just as I was about a097540c6a to say I would, half f4df70a5c1 the stack of books I 48739dd358 was holding disappeared. I-ryeong had silently taken 74cf2cc2af half of them from 9dc41d3efe me.a237941783328d34

They weren’t particularly heavy, 89df0aa8d4 so I felt a 9f4f325191 little sheepish. The librarian gave a 221667752d dramatic sigh and made 58d7b576d6 an amused, almost impressed e3b4f8409e noise.0fd84d7394ee58d0

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“What is it with you? Why are you so 6f2d003c03 popular with the kids? Every time you come here 7355b7f1fb on an errand, it’s someone 1e7015bbb2 different following you around.”9b2acf5e29a47768

Listening to her, it almost 82a2b609c7 sounded like I’d been cheating d13828ea0f on someone or something. I let out an d474737ab1 awkward laugh and quietly d5aa3042c1 stepped back. The librarian scoffed at me 09559994e1 and waved her hand as 8f59066254 if to say, go on, b844b15ad2 get out of here.433fe5fadc9a1682

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“I’ll bring the books back right after class.”90743fadc586292a

“Alright.”7e85cd64c350c47b

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I said goodbye and turned 2ca96b319b to leave the library—only to ea339dde0b lock eyes with the same 1bc4c65c5f kid who’d been standing there 9e0698fc04 earlier.483099fde360068d

Still clutching the 77a5e2725b chocolate I’d given 1d45d05ddb him, the kid 5f41215cb3 just blinked at bbe0da7b1f me. I carefully waved, making 8e200789e0 sure not to drop 9c63347d2f the books, then walked 3c978874d3 out of the library. Beside me, walking at a6b53408c5 a relaxed pace, I-ryeong de43c6e2bf suddenly asked,26599ac8fcecd8ca

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“By the way, that chocolate…”48861d28be72c450

“Chocolate? You want one too? Want me to give ac1f0dbd5b you one?”5b595a35b6d0173b

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“Huh? Uh… yeah.”aba0b90162588608

I-ryeong nodded a bit awkwardly. I paused, shifted the books 15bf89c4eb to one arm, and used 116cb5333d the other to take a 71aeb52338 chocolate out and slip it 1680aa7874 into the pocket of his 3d68e0e0b6 pants.c093a2ce0d74af44

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When he thanked me ffb115f534 with a polite “I’ll 1f36bd9645 enjoy it,” I gave a21c1f823c him a smiling glance a7c652cefd and started walking again.41ca05f97ebc7299

The library wasn’t in 6ba18f2a6c the main building but 50a89520c8 a separate one, so de45534e0c we had to move ad89d79a2a fast if we didn’t bec5182ec8 want to be late. As we exited the b533085a66 annex and started toward cbceb634b3 the main building, a d17770032c familiar voice rang out b70e56fa8a from somewhere a little 9f66b66f12 ways off.4402b6c3baf823e0

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I didn’t think 66d83bf43d much of it 2bf866be95 at first and 14b74939af kept walking—until the 651b6ddc8b wind carried the c343cde5aa voice more clearly. It was Eun’s voice. And hearing it reminded 44f88d9dab me whose voice it effaf83d69 had been earlier that 4e4665c167 had called him outside.4123cd7b14c5baef

“So I’m saying—”10b7d2ef9b639b54

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“Oh, that kid from before…”916526277f6f231c

“I told you, I don’t want to date you. It’s not because of the bd1112bdde college entrance exam—I just don’t 5e052fa79d like you.”12b03dcc6ba687e3

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“…Wait, what?”dd03c8e247c8e40f

The blunt, awkward words came eacafbfcaf clearly in Eun’s voice.2e8b0aca063c7cd8

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Wondering if I f1153e58e8 was the only d62ca37d81 one who’d heard 6ba0740fd5 it, I glanced 79f9b45b14 over—and I-ryeong looked c9d23aef08 just as surprised fa89100152 and lost as f4ac83d617 I was.458811f44e3cce3e

“I-ryeong.”c9cc623099cd47db

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“Hyung, was that just now…?”d75d1bc7ac65c6fd

“Pretend you didn’t hear. Hurry. Go, go.”d8f8b373eaadd176

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I grabbed I-ryeong and 43ace7e997 rushed into the main 63634c2958 building. I’d seen Eun get confessed f7e33fe698 to a few times, but d65a264ef3 this was the first time 6a75067a17 I’d witnessed him reject someone. I wasn’t even 765a2b3bfb the one being f60bbc7cca rejected, but the a2ea2b4850 coldness in his ef7529abb7 voice made my 3752dc3bfb heart drop. I tried to shake cf572cf26d off the memory of 61b9301722 that voice, etched so a1a6e425f2 clearly in my mind, b3e447fd88 and shivered.06ac738de99028e3

“I think… it’s my first time seeing someone I know get confessed to. It feels weird.”9bcf56ff4814712e

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I-ryeong muttered, looking like he’d de0f8056c4 just bitten into something sour. I wrinkled my nose 28563f5527 in agreement and clumsily b049e31113 gathered the books that da8b5c22e1 had shifted while we 5b2c4664b8 hurried.ece6d0f4aedd7674

“Yeah, kind of.”cdbd431e91e647bc

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“…But hyung, you calmed down quicker than I expected.”6fa18b7f2a80c1d2

“Well, it’s not like it’s the first time I’ve seen something like that. I mean, I’ve never seen 354f8f9b7b him reject someone before, so 1807cd8c53 that part was surprising, but 183ca9f371 I’ve seen him get confessed 9896e24f69 to a lot.”34b1ca83d8267c22

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I shrugged, and c6c789dc3a he gave a b7a2e036ba thoughtful little “hmm,” 7ce608701c eyes fixed on 44344902c1 the floor.ccc40f14efbe6716

“He’s really popular.”ada8d32917c010b8

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“Of course. Eun’s pretty, right? It’s only natural 1acfb7c713 for people to 0f10bfa00a be drawn to 966629d0d2 someone good-looking.”f8ba3c18b49b5a32

“I think you’re prettier, though…”3a88c2694d1b9ade

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“What? Me? Well, thanks—even if 58e0495523 it’s just words.”2fd7da3a4d4932b8

I laughed brightly, and I-ryeong b0f2d898ca raised his eyebrows like he f849ee95f9 was serious. I nodded casually and added, c0b8d7ba2d “Since that was a nice 0e665bec23 thing to say, I’ll give b97c776b03 you another chocolate later,” which 5c469d66b2 made him chuckle.cfe54d40c5bde890

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Just as we were 275ea7a1bd about to reach the 1de6ab94af classroom, I-ryeong called out a120a9316a to me. I stopped without hesitation and 7417e7d9b4 met his eyes. For some reason, he looked 38400fe3da nervous as he asked,ed01c77f93fc93ae

“…What about you, hyung?”357f372040176095

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“Me? What about me?”cd4fbc90b0167172

“Confessions. Did you get 84de46b713 a lot too?”c155243e2c9270a4

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Confessions, huh. I wasn’t even annoyed by 2bcd10c2e9 the random turn in the 21cdf45162 conversation—it was just that this 52144df8fd kind of topic, between two 33c7ffce36 guys, in the middle of eb6f97e88e the hallway, felt a little… 1964ee1d35 itchy.7e1069bef8e83042

I just stared at him 292cb52de0 in awkward silence, and his bbc3006c4e throat bobbed as he swallowed 7300d0ab01 hard. I wasn’t sure why 7a4a3257de he was asking, but 40a280cc3d it wasn’t something I 587b7a47eb couldn’t answer, so after f54fdf3226 a moment that probably 441a55f1c9 felt too long, I 6f36b05083 replied casually.e2e655bb6ed0a24c

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“Mm… a few, yeah?”a95bea8cd2ea42af

I said it with 1db42c05e0 a faint smile, and cdd09d38fd I-ryeong, who had been e5ad03b496 chewing on his lip bc4d48cade like he had something 0e307eec26 more to say, finally 283bec1607 mumbled:e4a1b01f4bbdce5e

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“I usually really like it when you smile, hyung… but when you’re smiling while talking about getting confessed to, I don’t like it.”1f7e731116ce5820

At his sullen 1a70ddf2d0 tone, I couldn’t fba6de4866 help it—I burst 747f5e2ef6 out laughing right cadbad3745 there in the ab0807f576 middle of the 9d392c01ec hallway. After laughing for 29bf7833e4 a while, I 2952902fd9 stepped in close 4429e0aa7c beside him and 739589fbd3 leaned in like 3dffdfec75 I was about 72dc74ae06 to tell a 4619df1d57 secret. With my lips near his e5fcffcc70 ear, I whispered,cd6d301937338ad9

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“Are you mad that people confessed to me?”fe16ffddd8d16dd8

“That’s not it.”d621d9bd44c4e6c6

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“Then… would it bother you if I started dating someone?”c60efab07f715f4d

I asked gently, 4518030ff8 like coaxing a 28e965b1e8 much younger kid. I-ryeong blinked, then slowly nodded.0f5889d0d7d6335b

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Yeah… I think b5b620d524 it would, he 678b22714e seemed to say.ff953089ef8eb4d5

It was the 5afe718215 first time I’d 007b8b1a7e ever seen I-ryeong cdb8263a16 sulk like this.a7f79f52ea84e446

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“Alright. I won’t date anyone—so instead, 7af3a8950a you’ve gotta hang out with 88ee19156a me a lot, okay?”ee063c39f77178bf

At my playful words, a485858eba I-ryeong gave a bright 3bdbab8011 smile and nodded. His face was so pretty 95a488ecb5 that I couldn’t help but ca9993958f exclaim, “Gosh, you’re cute!” and f40585ddaa ruffled his hair with one 4ac04a3a1a hand. Even with his hair now f6ecc2ed5f a mess, I-ryeong just let 77793fc5d5 me do whatever I wanted, 04eca19b4d smiling softly like he didn’t a854ffb694 mind one bit.50eedf8bd7cae9e0

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As I reached 0b7e86bf5c for the classroom b4137f4cb9 door, I-ryeong suddenly 5bc84506dc asked,98c0fa6ec2c9bb13

“What do you think about confessing to a friend? Do you think it’s ef3b00a8ea a bad idea?”47ba3a3784c13beb

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It was… a pretty out-of-the-blue 7533bfba7e question. Still, I took 5d1baa34e3 it seriously, thought 1fdfeecdd3 it over, and 469889c72b gave him an 386bdb44ac honest answer.8d58eda2b061be71

“I kinda do. I mean, it’d feel like e5a47f3214 everything we’ve built as friends fd4f44393d would get weird. And it means d8caabe94e they’ve been looking 371b6cca21 at me from 1c96acbf20 a different perspective 24ef246f7b all along, right? That’d make things awkward… so 63bdc339f6 yeah, I don’t think I’d 48c43ee89b like it. Why? Is there someone you 8895e8b6b9 like among your friends?”05d1d2dc3107f5ae

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I asked casually 963ea84c74 as I opened 7f4c71dfbb the door, but 67277009bd he didn’t reply. Curious, I turned to look—and 85151330ad saw a boy standing there ae597c8c39 with an expression that looked… dc70bdeb9a a little lonely.d60ad3ecf07c9af5

But then, as baf0a56998 if composing himself, 1a0005ec8c I-ryeong shook his 3eec4ee549 head like it f0f82285a5 was nothing.4b32ca3ecef18513

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“It’s nothing. I was just curious. There’s no one I like 2fdade32fb or anything.”d4cb8b92037c3c1f

He said it lightly, d6fd21fef9 but something about his c3ae4cd31f face looked a little 7449b561f1 sad.ead1f9f7976e1df1

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And yet, strangely, I da2d90ebc5 couldn’t bring myself to b9adfb5a35 ask why.
I just gently reached c5a359d853 out, pulled him closer 2588373713 to my side, and 34b2c67e7b walked into the classroom 62c1e938c6 together.708bbdfa5d21ba75

* * *6514161bef1f4824

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Time passed more peacefully than 00e6a3b103 usual, thanks to everyone around b03ec330b6 trying to help me out 5c537db849 just because I was a 29ae1a41a4 “sensitive exam student.”e2ed6401ce3b1dd1