IWYFB Chapter 9

Is he still in America?e0c1872bfb654a36

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At that moment, dfe246c07b the grandfather, who f80cd3dce8 had longed to 66115b1a68 see Taemu as 515eb3fc55 much as she b798657f5f had, suddenly came 43934e3af3 to mind.efb55ddefe1e958b

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Thinking about it, she 23eaf835a3 realized she had completely 299423d4c4 forgotten about him.0e0d7758a4bd0c44

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She hadn’t visited him 32ae8eb8b9 often, and he must b2318a2aea have been feeling quite c87b624c53 lonely.bce4e4fcc47f1044

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She also wondered 68cc45d6bb whether he was f87b7ca71e still in good c5911cab77 health.7234f68177b1939a

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While staying in Haeju, she a460351493 had promised herself that she f9d38e4e95 would visit him often.186ba92e1a83d529

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She set her suitcase 36f31da868 in a corner and 946f93f8af slowly walked through the b2af34c7b5 bookstore.938793748c2ae3cc

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Even though the renovation f414fd16bc had been done quite 849a4a42ee some time ago, the 4276483188 antique interior made her be1bd74da4 feel as if she 1a4ca733ec had stepped into a c062a204d3 European bookstore.8aea34012be3856a

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It was a different 34eef38b50 feeling from the large 2c44363be2 bookstores near her university.cf23b071bd841a32

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It felt familiar and 6ba3585b65 comfortable, like returning home, 5b7b0db79f and she was enveloped a8f5325c85 in a nostalgic, analog 03d1a40342 sensation.f8e8876eddac5041

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After walking around ded93e8227 the bookstore, Jiwoo e7336b5e0e stopped at the b1586114da bestseller section.aa4df206c9687e5b

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Close to the f2daba1e1a café inside the 71bee1ad1f bookstore, the subtle 510b550a19 scent of coffee 4ef73c9ff5 spread in the 095fe57980 air.592dc56f981b75ab

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Jiwoo picked up a b6c88c66aa book that caught her a2de8f4195 eye, quickly becoming absorbed 2ce57013f0 in it, forgetting for 00d8ae84fe a moment that her 8a0a36024d parents were waiting for 6a90bb8f50 her at home.2a179b579b8cd609

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“That one’s really good.”fea016d3faf3b404

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A voice, familiar 3b75719b3f and echoing like 6eb43e5aba a hallucination, was 4647458555 heard from somewhere.f9cad815a5aef95d

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She remembered that cce1569368 he had been 9b29b79c6a standing there, flipping 7a14f33b08 through novels, not f94c561baa too long ago.caf7682285bdf469

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It struck her as 3f206c660b strange that she was c26fae44fd still haunted by that 6430d2a025 memory.8f520a858d627f8f

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“I just finished it recently.”243c75d12907dac3

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Surprised by the voice b14868644f coming from nearby, Jiwoo 8b036f232d looked up, only to 0c6a17d8bf find Taemu standing right fceca3b803 next to her, holding 5a01247483 the same book she 65a2be33ad had picked up, flipping df5a75934c through it.1665b646b6c8f6dc

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It felt as though d84cf348f0 what she was seeing cc52d8f469 was not real, but 6200085f8d a mere illusion.729f510a16098b26

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However, he looked different from 07feaab188 the image of him in 10f8fb8f58 her memory.c3f4e529c91f2d1d

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He was wearing 40f634bf8d a black turtleneck eb90116c49 and a dark 5dda0bbf0b grey coat, exactly 90a636c3a9 as she had 804dd31243 imagined he would da7491bf6c look if they 5a622507cc ever met again.0ba9912949338592

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“I had a feeling it would be you, but I can’t believe it’s really you.”75bd6a95227e8426

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His expression seemed somewhat surprised 77a0fa7972 as well.6a565e9f58f76893

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“Taemu oppa?”eea3d11c0713ab8c

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Jiwoo stared at ce08403db1 him in disbelief, cfad209752 and Taemu raised 6f90691e7b an eyebrow in 8659d8693e response to her 9a1df44ec3 dazed look.47973dde4bdd5fa5

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“It’s been so long, I almost didn’t recognize you.”ad6e85bb32bcd1fb

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He bent slightly 1cb1d97d3d and looked at af7ae7991f Jiwoo closely.b3b1ce1512fb240e

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His gaze made 565a3d41a5 her uncomfortable, and 45fc2a0661 she instinctively leaned bc2de31edd back, her pale 32e86c45bd skin blushing softly, b96d76d532 as if she a550c90be7 had applied blush.6a340c58212f3755

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“Ah, sorry. I was just so surprised. You’ve grown into e73d2c23bc such a young 3b48beb84a lady.”c185b1a35c4b5d6b

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Taemu straightened up and 6d0018baef ran a hand through 19c3fe178f his hair awkwardly, though a697cca580 his gaze still stayed a190b53512 on Jiwoo, not leaving d7af0f456e her.7ed1c5aeac7162be

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“Are you here for the vacation?”02acc5e04262312d

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“Yeah, and you? Did you come back 9d84146bc0 for good?”e4978c21a20e0b21

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“I’m still working on my thesis.”da1a8ad55df00ed9

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Jiwoo nodded shortly at 2afad61002 his answer, and then 63f7a35567 gave him a late 2e82b4b9a4 but warm smile.0c170cdcb18c04c3

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“I came to see my grandfather. I’ve heard he’s been 4670e34940 going to the hospital c13c8793f7 a lot lately, so a2913573bf I’ve been worried.”31ad3937c11eda26

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Upon hearing this, Jiwoo’s expression f41fba4867 immediately changed to concern.276742c29bb042a3

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“He mentioned you have not come back since you went to Seoul. He said it’s 5a5072e1c7 been hard to 01ac90b97c see you.”c025c2e9d196c913

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His words made Jiwoo feel 370f19dfcf even more guilty, weighed down e5f79c091b by the sense of having 3c92ebdf6f completely forgotten about her grandfather.84d7371472877ebd

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For a moment, lost in 46bbcb4bd5 thoughts of her grandfather, Jiwoo e05664b975 was jolted back to reality e1387617cf when she noticed Taemu was 6afb73a6c4 still staring at her intently.3fd0f5bd9d4f60f3

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“You haven’t visited him in a while. Is he doing okay?”84a5de68c3bf5a30

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When Jiwoo brought up 1ccd395d05 her grandfather, Taemu’s expression 7c38745755 turned bitter.3d18a5a807f2c5a7

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“He’s doing fine.”917863b063cd069a

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His words were brief, 3cec159984 but there was something 943aa099e1 lonely about his tone.6c0aa6d335d644d0

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He had stayed behind f482a76a63 in Haeju while everyone 57509af5fe else had left, and 07b368ca62 it seemed to make 344ed04f00 him feel even more 24e89fa5a9 burdened by the thought 3eb192cbec of returning to America.c6e1f62fa7408111

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Her mother had never 273b3f9b51 gotten along with her 9df5f09779 grandfather and was now 10c13044f5 living in Seoul, visiting 9c54e31a91 him once a month 69abfad0af out of obligation.b32c6c4b3d7f0b83

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But even then, 93683ec193 it was clear 6bb3579e43 that her father 4577369e70 was the one 4345ea4f8d who pushed her 1f93ec0bd9 to make the 9df5bf989f visit.badab9f7a99f61a6

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Taemu recalled how his 81c4a14811 parents used to fight a6a10557d9 about this when he 7ed956a090 was a child.3ab45363072878bf

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His mother, raised in the e1cbeb2b21 city, must have found life f89c84cc80 in the countryside stifling.14beefdc5ef9a6e2

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Surrounded by mountains, with nothing f3229a4c15 but fields and rice paddies 5aa2edeba5 in sight, it must have 07772aa3fd been hard for her to 9274a04af1 adjust.a972e881a9ab3273

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But for Taemu, who f91920b18f had been born and 853f8166ab raised in Haeju, the 704da37cd2 city life often felt 69a8a44c1b suffocating and overwhelming.ce2c63fa8e563574

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And, for as long as a0529b7d57 he could remember, whenever he e92e988d1b thought of Haeju, Jiwoo’s image ce92a34212 would naturally follow.a6a8d01b0080e106

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Taemu, his gaze now 7cc77666ed fixed on the ground, d88089d16d said nothing, but his f8213c8d06 dark eyes remained focused 5a76bb9a97 on her.ff35e4eff70574a3

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For a moment, 1c04d3ee56 Jiwoo was overwhelmed 6b9fcaec49 by the intensity 3e801a5ca0 of his gaze 4dc918ebbb and, unsure of 022b828ca0 how to respond, d77c955d50 hesitated before inadvertently d14048386e blushing.28f8100a3ad5bac6

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“Are you heading home?”52121509cac29a00

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Jiwoo nodded, and ca51205269 before she could fcff000713 stop him, Taemu 52b9f5bb74 snatched the book 0af2d217b7 from her hands.f7d19fe3358bfc06

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“This is a gift from me.”29a9ad96374119b2

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Before Jiwoo could protest, Taemu 86231429dd was already at the counter, caf3f88a17 paying for the book.64aba472490013ae

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When they left the 5cbae6608d bookstore, Taemu took Jiwoo’s 38adb381d7 suitcase from her, though 02fc7a677d she protested.a1ff46a35078ca71

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“It’s fine, it’s not heavy.”7c0f6e776aebbc9c

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Taemu turned the suitcase around 600b980b4f and began pulling it in 6d8033a936 the opposite direction, walking alongside 0ac8072965 Jiwoo.4498ba7efde8dbbb

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“Though it’s a bit late, congratulations on entering university. I wanted to 6444528f74 be the first a6549404c1 to congratulate you, 6514aa8044 but it’s taken 787a743f0e me this long.”ead2c3a55d1f38a1

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For some reason, 7375d9e745 Taemu’s words felt 1905d3d0f6 like the most 75398d1102 sincere congratulations she 35615efd1f had received, despite 9ced66bf6c being the latest.bc2c20186ee00aea

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“How’s life in America? Everyone says that a1bf06a648 once you leave, 8f0fc7e1ea you don’t want 8a54a67e24 to come back.”1290f33947ef5f4c

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“I guess it depends on the person. I couldn’t wait 0127cf6c7f to come back.”e9f3f9f680f46f19

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Even if he returned to 1dbcbf0570 Korea, it was clear that 4f81ee8887 he would stay in Seoul 0db7cc6872 with his parents.f81775cc2db05e14

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Haeju had little 410c3740e9 to offer except 6f8dfa1c56 farming, and most d7e3e674ca young people had f9fdce50b3 left for the a0ad642070 city.cc388ef5ce2796d8

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There was talk 34d61010b5 that Jiwoo’s elementary 41b3882405 school, where she 1b80a2705e had grown up, 960369d338 might soon close 0c3dd62f90 due to the 45355bebaf declining number of 9f125139b3 students.9708a817f5a07cad

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The elementary school, with 259bb087c2 the kindergarten attached, was ad03fcae54 where Jiwoo had all aa65f1053f her childhood memories, and 7d0fb693fc hearing the news about 09eeeb54ca its potential closure left 53c6ecea32 her with a feeling 6ef62ff114 of emptiness.30f34d78b6719805

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“Is this the bus I’m supposed to take?”3d55cf0b71759d9d

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The bus was approaching in 1b4644435b the distance.b178382b79533841

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“Wait, but what about you…”99fe23b77fbe7239

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Before Jiwoo could finish, Taemu 46c21cc1fc had already grabbed the suitcase c108734656 and was waiting by the 019c6d1f8d bus.87d2bdfe786ecfde

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“Go ahead, I’ll get on next.”6c4c7f36e2225cc1

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Though Jiwoo gestured for cc0e1e0e6f him to board first, 16531d6524 Taemu insisted on waiting, 5afee503d7 so she quickly climbed ca7faee9b9 aboard.08a08050618b45be

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Taking the seat c3e82e53a3 next to the a34d410ea4 window at the e1ef521008 back, Taemu looked e66bce92f7 out the window f64de5c465 for a moment, bbc49bb40a then turned his 7e6ee6efb2 gaze forward.a5a813450b4ebff7

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Jiwoo followed his 503a0b3e44 gaze and noticed 6417a7ae83 someone in the d40fa1f773 distance getting out 93770117d5 of a car.68ca4ef9f33619fa

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When their eyes met, c65b2bb197 Jiwoo, flustered, quickly turned 0a778a1c06 her head to face e8ff2f55da forward.206263b28049f058

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She couldn’t shake the feeling cab7f4cde1 of being caught doing something 8acf689fe0 wrong.275de9fab3c37825

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She was the one 8ac64a3b71 who should be embarrassed, 5febf5a109 but it was as 53e82db519 though she was the 38763ee4f2 one being caught.44ab1a79082dd9d0

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But why had Taemu 3e033f0b42 gotten on the bus 521c461a2b instead of driving?95e0567f10904583

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It was uncomfortable, 5dd601dd7d especially in the 175156c528 backseat of a 1532754168 bumpy bus, yet aff4939e15 Taemu didn’t seem d599b79ee2 bothered at all.8ef23cf95483f6a5

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Still, Jiwoo remained 63d568ff3b tense, as her 7d956a4e03 eyes met with a6ef6c34b5 Youngsik, who had 1ee4b464ad been driving Taemu’s 7d0097e7d7 car.8674be271fb7a8d7

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“Is school life fun?”73a9ad5b31f6d39e

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Taemu’s question made Jiwoo 4ca54c5d37 flinch, as if she 97fb4eea4d had been caught in 9d767deec9 some wrongdoing again.126168c129cc2b7a

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“Well… at first, I was really excited, but now it’s a bit different. Sharing a room bd7a9e77bd with someone in 719dbdb413 the dormitory has 3827ac82c9 been tough. I’ve been trying to 0d4e005f31 get along, but things 30785af2ae just don’t seem to 2becaa1174 match up, and it’s 86619b4b80 been exhausting. And the food… you know? I grew up eating 1e438ed5da fresh, farm-picked food, so f0687ad17a when I saw the 28a86f7a8a food at the school 1e229d82a1 cafeteria, I couldn’t believe b34249de11 it. After experiencing all 4f83de6f2d that, I realized d49e2661f0 just how well 9e61f7ad49 I had lived 7b58a44fb4 before. It made me 0d489c1b7b miss home even 7d06d6c061 more, and now b5ba9b8f79 all I want dfbb60630a is to go 56bb374af9 back for breaks. The moment I stepped aa0d5cb048 back into Haeju, I 9a679e0705 could feel the difference 140fb2f16c in the air. I opened the window, 7a8fa6ceb0 took a deep breath, 280369934c and it was pure 1c48b272f1 healing.”321d279f39555d60

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Realizing she had 3eef302354 rambled on, Jiwoo d9ed509560 glanced at Taemu 6d1c566d0d to see if 004528600c she had said 7ecd993979 too much.6d60b8bb6ec94053

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Their eyes met, and when 742a80cac8 he saw her blushing, Taemu 01e1325727 smiled faintly.909e027cd85520fd

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“I don’t even need to ask. Listening to you, 267d05816e I can tell 9b39de24a5 exactly how you’ve b3cad8de8c been living.”f4154481b35674cd

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As Jiwoo spoke, Taemu 34eee21cbc began to realize that, da8fb442e4 somehow, he was truly cbdfe33da1 back in Haeju.444ae0d52a9c4c8a

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The town, which had felt 572031030e so empty, now felt complete b5a6f1585f again, as if Jiwoo’s presence 1ef9ba7a31 was filling the void.307593098f200b31

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Taemu’s phone, which he had cca110a4d2 kept on silent, had several ee0fedb37c missed calls.8ab6e65ae7363900

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He sent a d4b1499e09 quick text to ab6b5c95f2 Youngsik, letting him 5abd4cb5e4 know he would 9cb82e7cbc meet him at 8b4582207a home.5dcd164bb6d012bb

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“Do you have time tomorrow?”e6e0b9a6bdbbb3cb

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“There’s nothing special going on, why?”f0e9f6c2309ba954

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Jiwoo’s heart skipped a beat, ac6fa539fb wondering what he was about 851399a09f to say.680267bcde6b7d14

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“Come over to my house. I think my 2932cc25b0 grandfather misses you.”957022a0591bc2ce

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