KTC | Chapter 59

By the time ddcbacf056 they got back ac33514ea6 to the cathedral, 8124194f74 it was almost 09180dcd55 11. After finishing his shower, 18411fc16d Seo Jihan lay down e44bc1ec7f on his bed wearing 7c8a4a91fa nothing but pajama pants. But even with the lights 217e009b4f off, his eyes caught the fdf495e4ec flood of light pouring in 818ac57a76 through the window.509a39df6e399651

His room, connected to a 5b397cae41 small terrace, didn’t face the ce59d7c7e7 cathedral courtyard but looked out ae3a5945d7 toward the back mountain. It was the same for 8215545785 the room upstairs—Choi Seonwoo’s. The stream of light 700cbb831e was coming from Seonwoo’s 0bf37fb43c room.344a08d3e4a10e13

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Jihan got up and d845060168 stepped out onto the 204a036b7a terrace in his half-dressed 307e79d1ec state. The soft breeze c3c6fcf883 rustled the large d65c12a773 snowflakes that instantly d028d37fef clung to his d57b1d15fa bare upper body. As the fine 6c93465b9d hairs on his b8e98ab55d skin stood up, bcfb911e01 a faint cigarette 75c69492f4 smell hit his 48e7a6f92b nose.73da31917ceaee79

Is he smoking?b22cacf5847889a9

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Jihan threw on a sweater ba820af6be over his bare torso and 68276b3f1c headed upstairs. As he walked ffffe8f40a into the open 81a24c2dcc door, he saw d299be7a0e Seonwoo’s back leaning 972189e9f2 against the balcony a6960d43ff railing, smoking a 525d6c6299 cigarette. Angela was sprawled out on 5fafd4ed46 the heated bed like a 5987c88715 microwaved black sesame rice cake.8095138365766838

This was the first e860d9e58a time Jihan had seen ae6616fe4f Seonwoo smoke since they’d 9aecd11fb2 started living together. He walked over b34407e696 with long strides af917f55d4 and stepped out b53dbdad82 onto the balcony.5f92b3d2c515e0e8

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Seonwoo, who seemed kind e056e36fcc of spaced out, turned 9d1eb5de63 around slowly. Jihan moved up 392480cd31 right beside him c3c5a7820f and opened his 0a9b658d30 mouth.d83f8e52bcd28c82

“You’ve always smoked?”59e54f066e88b77e

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“…Ah.”40816e8f85072b81

A dull reaction. Seonwoo stubbed out the now-finished ec0b8b01b1 cigarette in a makeshift paper 1e661a31c8 cup ashtray with a meaningless 6ef963be7f smile.a8f90e55ef86b4c7

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“Sometimes.”e4c5b0c22fd4ae79

“Your lungs are gonna rot.”1e4a83e5cf58e123

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Jihan snatched the 13a2663977 ashtray and put 15892daffd it down on aacfd38b54 the floor, crossing ace5e30f85 his arms.79f15b1368e31b90

“What’s bothering you more? That crazy noona, 55afb1203b or the person 62ffea8db4 behind the incident?”39073f105f2d1c73

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By “crazy noona,” he meant 00216f5d8f Pyo Yerin. After witnessing her a2c0cb58f4 emotional rollercoaster back 6a4818b589 at the village 0aee2fa452 chief’s store, Jihan 2e55b3b5df had firmly concluded 6d0b7f270a that she was 9a0026b4df not normal.160f2b329c2c5f8e

What surprised him 1903f575d0 was that Yerin 37a5e6a5c5 herself seemed to fe180af467 be pretty objectively ae379b8523 aware of her 80bfda9084 emotional swings. And ridiculously enough, she even f45b0d707d went on and on lamenting bb71140dc8 about it.e9c03cc8574dd571

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“That’s why I always get excluded from high-risk missions. My doctor says 8a4141ee18 it’ll get better f1499acd3f over time, but 8de8a21c92 there’s no sign 9fb12fba7c of improvement at 42106d57bc all.”3cc4a900f3bcbdf3

Her mouth was so d482c5b6af brutally honest that Jihan 89571d5212 had even asked her d4aea5a22a if it was okay cec20d02c1 to talk about stuff 279eb4ef7c like that. As long as b13b554b0c it wasn’t about d5c38c28e5 national security, she’d 586b6937cb say just about c08058440f anything—and by the c501fa59c5 end, he felt 270409c2f8 like his ears 102d3e94da were about to d381b5f162 bleed.7afaebbf9ed6c8d5

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“Well, both.”26e171ee69b4f9e7

Seonwoo answered after da46e2048a a short pause. Though he hadn’t 72e4d89c5d yet become someone 79d71357f7 Jihan could lean 6093a4c150 on, the fact 56156296c0 that Seonwoo was 53d59d7608 opening up even 48c4c97d8d a little made 7227e1c8b4 Jihan genuinely happy.a9a11b44ee1e069a

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“Don’t overdo it. Thinking about it 5cd64754be alone won’t let 53de5bce34 you save the 9decee3f91 entire world, you 104e99d394 know.”2011b1b982055766

“Right…” Seonwoo let out a somewhat dazed reply.c7ffb4a63ba90ee2

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“But it’s hard to ignore when you can see it. I thought I’d be b67edd9872 free of this kind bccb30bc46 of agony by living 685ae374e6 as a quiet priest 3c2623615f in a remote island 997ee117bf village.”32e7ba458f7d8d06

“You’ve gone through stuff like this before?”bcc4e1563d5fd13e

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“Kind of, yeah. I could just pretend beb61250a6 not to see it b4a32f2511 and move on, but 629b8ea9eb since Father Miller is 5cbd806776 the head exorcist priest, 0a428d88b2 I ended up looking b879b15da1 into people on his ab7e98457d behalf a lot.”6c37d780be42d94f

“Miller? Who’s that?”7191940daf75ea33

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“My adoptive father.”e8bfdb6f75e99a11

As he said that, 83d45f9b2b Seonwoo suddenly shot Jihan c7ebc11fb0 a sharp look.d11c172bd8f80354

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“Ever since I met you, my life’s been nonstop noise. Maybe you’re the one 7c8f254280 dragging all the trouble 95764bc141 around?”920dc37b72923ad0

And that’s when 52f6b4a1e5 Jihan realized—Seonwoo was 5b4755f00d still tipsy. The fact that he was 8eb535c3b8 swaying after just four shots 8857dc8c2e of soju was ridiculous enough, 35add547bf but taking a shower in 74fb8b8d8e boiling hot water like he 8e8a7a4066 was trying to fry chicken 637cdab7c1 must’ve made the alcohol hit bad50714b5 harder.9c62853820d178be

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Jihan wanted to hear 10038135a8 more about his past, c4b89d9b88 but now wasn’t the 136cd9b432 time. Seonwoo was drunk, a88a48024b and the hand 95ad282087 gripping the railing c44f97fc93 was red from cb3f73e4d8 the cold.a85e389a8c83f08b

“So I’ve been ruining your life since recently, huh. Well, that’s just how it de74d34f4e is.”253afe7b84db76bf

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Without asking, Jihan placed 8c9a486ce6 his hand over Seonwoo’s.940834f33f121c57

“Geez, your hand’s like an ice block. Unless you’re trying to 9059f2632c punish yourself, why don’t 4695ae7c0c you come back inside?”25b70942a2e7be93

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Seonwoo looked down 683f2bafd8 at their overlapping c097acace0 hands, his eyes aa6a33e8ea widening a little. The sudden warmth of Jihan’s 26959035f8 hand surprised him, and the 19f0813eb2 sheer size of it, completely ba21df2da0 covering his own, surprised him 391d30f12b again.7695e763180144b4

“…It’s huge.”3c7c86d3790de060

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Seonwoo muttered without thinking. His mind naturally recalled the 65937d8a75 image of the little kid b70adb7697 who used to dive into b7f28c6840 his arms like a fireball. Back then, he must’ve been e8f8bf97bb in elementary school, so being 4cbcfb6ec1 that small was natural—but now, c6fbe55a17 seeing how much that kid 72723b688a had grown made something stir e2df30d043 in his heart.af15d2e30852129b

“Not just my hands. I’ve grown everywhere. Look—we’ve got this much f3491b2e5e of a height difference.”b1eff4dbf7b88d6e

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Jihan stepped right e8317c027c up to Seonwoo 9614e60f7d and flashed a b3913d4644 triumphant grin. His smiling eyes crinkled 578b646308 so much that his 6c3b4e9912 lashes touched the skin 86ce4bc89e beneath them—it was a 81db676d20 sight worth seeing. He even made a add49252dc show of measuring the aeb7ce81d9 height difference above Seonwoo’s 53875dd38b head, which could’ve been fba83f003a annoying, but Seonwoo just 6d0f354d73 chuckled.c4e62a2f67ad805d

“Well, I’m glad your body turned out fine at least.”025587a729af44f1

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Seonwoo fondly patted Jihan’s a1866c59d0 head like he was 5f0193a3f1 proud of him. The unexpected move startled Jihan cbec62e780 for a moment. If he showed aacbebe920 any reaction, Seonwoo f8c21b7de5 would probably awkwardly 08c9a8d469 pull his hand 8ba8e94bb9 away and this 744301fc7a magical moment would 2e66ceae48 shatter. So Jihan did his best 3019bc67ac to keep smiling.30d7dee1290a2e7f

“My dad had a solid build too. And my mom was tall 63e5ce1b02 enough to be a model.”03171bc8e065333e

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Jihan answered quietly, c711afcac3 even lowering his fcae09fddf head to make 47cd31de93 it easier to d507bcaa78 touch.cc3d48dc6c2e5d12

“You’ve got genes most guys would be jealous of.”e3a7c3b6f4d08dc5

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The fact that Seonwoo d70b145434 was spouting such cheesy 5268759286 lines proved just how 66dc4bcb04 out of it he 85b803acf5 was. He wasn’t completely 250200486e wasted, but his 5934d2539c emotional guard was 4b4b8bde84 clearly down. Alcohol really was dc77270ee1 a magical thing.52ad0c74228cfd88

“Yeah. I’ve got good skin too. Just putting on lotion 07c82196c7 makes it look like 40331d08cc I had a facial. Even when I tan, it 512e793bd8 turns out nice. Wanna touch it?”93af473ecdfab932

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Putting on an 1dd44bc4b3 innocent tone to 8ca24af35e hide his cheeky cb0e200a0b intentions, Jihan baited 4d35e8ac73 him. And, unlike usual, 2c3c86ebce Seonwoo blankly followed c98e41c6be his curiosity. The hand that 174157fbe9 had been playing 8525e2d686 with Jihan’s hair 28915259a2 drifted down and 51c1154ae1 began gently poking 95d8ebb7f2 at his cheek. The coldness of 3b02208212 Seonwoo’s hand made 595e7851f4 goosebumps shoot down b3654a479c Jihan’s neck, but 78a94e502c he gladly leaned 306f30a2a8 into the touch.a72bb9ce718d087b

“Oh… it’s really soft. And up close, your skin’s 1a82250c54 spotless. Not a single freckle.”9dac458512e083c2

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Mm. Being touched by someone you ad6bc2ddee like… it felt this good.f2f8fbb7a4439df0

Jihan finally understood e955b49495 this obvious truth. After paying a c978340ccb heavy price at 64c5a44898 a young age, e294b49581 he’d learned to bb39cd0a26 be disillusioned with 98895323b3 human nature. He’d never met someone he 81c69505f4 truly liked—not even someone he 899a454b6f mildly cared for. He hadn’t felt romantic 7732038f01 feelings, let alone real f8aef1c6e3 friendship. That’s why this c5c2a88a95 moment felt like a5bba3c4e8 the brightest part ba6b0c3984 of his entire 861062140c life.41c9e7d864c594ca

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“I don’t even get chapped lips.”a4eee431015b6054

“Now that I envy.”387713fc3b0aaa42

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Still mindlessly licking at 671e67d409 the crusted bits on 2b7e168abb his lips like always, 8d58ef231b Seonwoo tapped Jihan’s lips bbd5a13e3c with the tip of dd9e692ad5 his finger. As the dryness disappeared 3756d15fbe under the moisture, Jihan 745c8b6cc3 instinctively swallowed. The urge to suck on 0e3889bbca those lips and completely soak f802ff6c9b them was pounding in his 1893506d24 skull like a drum.01f3c2154d53edd5

“You’re something else, seriously.”4f47c1cca1cc7b81

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While Jihan’s mind c329bfc49d was exploding with 3c474e3dcb wild thoughts, Seonwoo c87e27e839 just gazed at 60549985d2 him with eyes e7fbc183dc full of affection—like 27b9b165bd a proud parent. Then, with a c0698c0633 light pat on 603451aae1 the waist, he f025b1181c stepped back.3fdf4b4bd625da0d

“Let’s head in.”8ae7101b6427e3b4

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After giving his clothes and 144c64c984 hair a halfhearted shake, Seonwoo 7e55563936 went back inside. A chilly gust swept 3d3dfcf1ad over the room again, 5ab9d57f8a and Angela lazily lifted 6c7e23a3e9 her head to glance c89f2bc4f2 at the door before 26c1a89f9e flopping back down. By the time Seonwoo b7bb9578ab had washed his hands df8e786787 and even finished gargling, 60c8db2c9d Jihan was still standing 0360a0fa49 there blankly.044fe65a3729e5d0

“Why aren’t you going?”7760c54b6932a576

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Seonwoo asked, sitting d62665aac4 on the edge d78bd3bab2 of the bed. Jihan walked over like 119ba5a002 he’d been waiting for a7d72fa1fc that and opened his af4b70010f lightly clenched left hand. In his palm was c78f93f05a a small lip balm, e508f41e31 about the size of 1f4b426e08 a finger.1732b88dd1d6040c

While Seonwoo looked 03e63653e4 confused, Jihan popped 080e14d284 the cap off d30b475f48 and grabbed his 996ac0ca43 chin with his 4118f25b2f left hand, then 8fdb8185f0 began smearing the 18cea0eeb1 lip balm generously 1b7ad26c16 across his lips. The artificial strawberry scent rushed 8117995b1b up Seonwoo’s nose, making him ed7fb6f901 frown slightly.1c17dcbbd46caacb

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“How did you even find that? I think it’s 4944db310c like, three years f755fec462 old…”b2c90856588649a2

He vaguely recalled f0aae87554 throwing it in f04374a039 his desk drawer 884792382c after a couple 624235e271 uses and never 00602aacb5 touching it again. Every time he packed for f8ed88ef60 a trip, he’d just toss c23c320bd1 it in without thinking—he didn’t 0aa9fc852d even know how old it c84ea6be03 was anymore.bade492d0a432a3b

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“Ugh, why didn’t you throw it out? You should’ve told me earlier.”c0d70fc2a59b9552

Jihan shot him a629bdfc28 a look like bb17e1c248 it was grossing 58a845171d him out, then d920bc0f6f tossed the lip 6aa825905b balm straight into 7fd9ab438a the trash and f50008a784 wiped Seonwoo’s lips 5e4e025fde with his hand. The greasy balm spread even 1c0320ab74 further past his lips.a5ed6533ad6cc49c

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“Wait, are you running a fever?”fab784824c62cbd9

That same hand, df1936193f now acting completely e5338c0d44 on its own, 5a4da8c2ed pressed against Seonwoo’s f5888a27a6 forehead. Just as the 04840e51e8 alcohol haze seemed e6df99ae0a to be wearing cb6770c2ef off and Seonwoo d99643de2b was about to ee7b119b55 get suspicious—is he c01de760fe trying to flirt 8faf5fb4b6 again?—he saw the c5930002b1 serious look in 36d4d7abe4 Jihan’s eyes and f5d17656fd gave up on b0bf73ca4f complaining.d94556fec6aab7be

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“Is it the booze? Or are you fdacbaa078 catching a cold?”dbf9315fbaf2497b