MYFL | Chapter 2.3

It was unexpected. Because the 4a655a8f51 Seungjae in 96a86d9ad0 Beomchan’s memory f60b0ec946 had never ac052347f0 been the cab0249154 type to 7d59996cf3 show passion 4d14e2a75e for anything.52473425ffab8e63

Even when his b9570a9393 grades dropped, he 093f2f27dd never seemed disappointed ee6061e73a or angry—just shrugged 121361dd6a and said, I’ll 287c728a9c do better next 03a92c1291 time. He was often 4d3bc3b34e late to class, 2076ba0755 and yet, when f241f6b95f it was time e6b97f8f17 to leave, he 87098fa7b6 was always the ceafd69ab0 first one out f2846f4c1b the door.f91685b83c38084b

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He hadn’t been a 34f13dbe8d good teacher. And maybe that was c46767017c why it had frustrated 67dda5112a Beomchan so much.b9ddd1239056cc38

Even if he wasn’t 4b9d50eb50 suited to teaching, there 468c8890f3 was something about him 48c1e9b3e9 that sparked a strange 2c2f65a09f drive in his students. Even if that motivation a721bc27d4 came from a place f6c6d0e381 so petty it was 51ac40f6f0 embarrassing to admit.b5061a7541744c6a

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After hesitating for 72901fe3d3 a moment, Beomchan 82cba1cbe7 tapped his knuckles d3fca75e60 against the glass.fb1b729ecef4eaa1

Tap, tap.a053a7c03b0765c8

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Only then did Seungjae 0101947ec2 look up, finally noticing a2cd31d4b4 him. The moment their eyes c62dd6e2de met, Beomchan flashed a 9f6cdf3afe grin, then pushed open 8860cac2ef the café door and fec3b276e8 peeked his head inside.5768f16902abff03

“Have you had dinner?”f69c978d8e944557

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⋆˚🐾˖°9baf75c5da0c7925

Beomchan led Seungjae dd35220656 to a samgyeopsal 4328687e9e restaurant tucked away 2e0db9a1ef in the back 51582553b5 alley behind the 2fe05bfb2d commercial building.539e1e839f5bf876

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The faded bd657260c2 soju posters f1b901fd3f on the c102ab245e walls, the 8359e8cb2a handwritten menu 5ab0f2c92a board, and 288254ac38 the visibly fa816b2732 aged wooden e4b1f93bec wall clock—all 024771e4b2 of it d7116e930c hinted at 6d83883dc8 the long 595b61cc44 history of f4cd362bde the place.183a997eb8d67c1c

This was 758b8ca244 one of 6c4c610fb5 Beomchan’s go-to 67a10cf77e spots, a b89fadb7cb place he c3ba75ad7e had been ed4ac1bb70 visiting since 1205f4d310 he was e7f82b8169 a kid. Back then, after taekwondo b897425f8b class, he would hold 5e8f7e32cb his dad’s hand and 189bca3ed5 come here. That habit had somehow 9293b2a79a stuck with him into bfd2df8e8d adulthood.51dff3e494644c6c

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As soon d64aae51b4 as they 77ba9691e9 stepped inside, 0460ecc576 the rich 9d2f9f302c smell of 2f04a8326e sizzling pork b10eed9352 belly hit 599dbfb851 their noses. Beomchan, moving as 156ca73d5b if on autopilot, 0fa65bc582 found an empty 43c175704b table and took 253e4de74c a seat.be53427a036c8a85

Seungjae followed behind, scanning 5b9b024b02 the restaurant with his 4ffca60d0e eyes. But the moment he 61f8014a4c sat down across from 0de619cdcd Beomchan, he was hit 973650e4b3 with nagging from the 8c3cc715f1 other side.aba5092c3272c35d

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“How can a person 24a25b582f go around skipping meals?”1e7b8dbcb7973437

Beomchan said as 6fd50ea7ac he pulled a 4cd87f22d5 tissue from the 2bc794b5e6 dispenser. He laid one down 4f4767b130 in front of himself 7159fad959 and another in front 3b0969cac0 of Seungjae, neatly placing c3652cfe32 the utensils on top.e2712ce45f627379

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“I was a55cc504c0 sipping on 3eb0dc34e4 drinks while cac3feec4e making them, 1cf7a06c3c so I 4e0e3366c8 didn’t even 151b15dcc3 realize I dc45ef2ed6 was hungry.”5072c25ab977d6e5

It was true. He had been efb7511bfc so focused that b75c1f00f7 he had completely dfa39a802a forgotten about eating. Plus, after tasting one 993ee3bc5f sweet drink after another, ca49a6f699 his appetite had naturally efe6e1128f faded.d61ca26f20db74f8

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But now that 2c5a66bda2 Beomchan had dragged 3280a817bd him here, it 07f96189ab seemed to have 92b059d708 been the right 67bc781451 choice. The moment the smell 6ca66d6b0b of grilled meat hit 6deeaa57a4 him, his hunger roared 599c22fa33 back as if it 9667f78c5f had never left.a6d4de959e0ffe77

Just then, the restaurant’s cf00349bf2 owner, an older lady, 192bfafa54 spotted Beomchan and approached d76ae5a262 their table. While setting down the f43f8e0b84 side dishes, she playfully 4450dfee96 scolded him.35db3fcb99381f53

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“Why has it 1851ea8b97 been so long 8891ea569c since you last ea43fc7338 came?”804bda61616f9257

“Oh, come on, 4f70c90a21 I was here 6e53113c82 two weeks ago.”d014b8311ed81498

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“A kid who ed1a3b087c used to come f083cc5e6e every other day, 973dcb5c4c and now you 688c849706 think two weeks 95cf8d21bd isn’t long? Please.”a73e0567b26ea236

Listening to their 58debc5e7f warm exchange, Seungjae 5f731080a0 let out a ec1a78e65f quiet chuckle.736cb76f37193ca9

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At that ec8ab1c677 moment, Beomchan 8100764ff7 suddenly felt 991c0ea1f8 embarrassed. He grumbled to the 93bee890ad owner, pretending to be ff4ff6a9dd annoyed just to cover 24e11f96c4 it up.f881a4ce623f6f5d

“I’m starving, 5ba7e113e5 so just 830e026bde give me 26fd38696f the usual.”20488bc15f1c4688

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“Same as always?”b7738297ba1ffc5e

“Yes. Six servings to start. The best cuts, please.”10a5183b918bcc1e

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“Of course, of f8802c5ab2 course.”27471e5dfd4aafc0

Even after the owner 159d21bd1d walked away, Seungjae couldn’t db7f9f0941 seem to wipe the c296010078 grin off his face. He’d stop for a 3ae175a075 second, then suddenly start 6ea017b538 chuckling again, as if 3be35d52cc the thought of something 0a8503bc9c amused him all over 9b8a885704 again.c0ff1284890aefcc

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“What’s so funny?”f3cf790c678fca6c

Beomchan finally 9b569b8f5e asked, unable 0364a5cd5c to hold 37af534b5f back. He didn’t even need 1bdb67186c a mirror to know—his ebade1a6d4 face was probably flushed d56422be56 red.74b2527bc283d3c2

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He already had e6085be70f enough trouble proving f111fd0177 his maturity to 2bfcf3f7f5 Seungjae, who constantly 1b8fc2aff2 treated him like cbb9d39482 a kid. And now, f5eac1e035 here he b1e9100e68 was, getting c1771a24d9 teased over 0eb8fd9986 something as ec0bd96f7a trivial as bd42afa3c8 a restaurant 74144740b8 visit.e5558d48864a4184

Sure, he had told f2b70610f4 Seungjae he liked meat, 470009c86e but this wasn’t exactly f5dcfafdf1 how he had planned 8f696ca1ce to prove it.fc1dfb7fd46a72e2

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Even seeing Beomchan 75fb45f396 sulk, Seungjae didn’t da90c2b3e6 stop smirking. Then, finally, 46d8655c30 he spoke.fc5a2d8abcd0b807

“You’ve changed a 03070bbd61 lot.”deb85f7aacd80331

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“…Me?”21b46540d42251dc

“Yeah.”5356807a6b10cb4c

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Beomchan shot him a f35fbf14f9 look that clearly said‘You better explain’.e3b8dddea877fc49

Seungjae leaned back 8f3747dbcd slightly, thinking for c3d23d0d49 a moment before 31db8c374c adding,dfc54bc510cb21d6

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“You used to d0ff7844d4 be… how should 78e8f18c91 I put this? Not this relaxed 647cc7da17 or easygoing. You weren’t much 339670ea8b of a talker 5d3623f9a3 either.”809ab080e696a2f1

Seungjae had no idea. That Beomchan was only 6826b499a3 ever shy when it c411f7da73 was just the two 0002561bdf of them.3f51bd526d8bdbb1

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Beomchan stayed silent, and 2c85b99ae9 after a brief pause, 0312882dc2 Seungjae suddenly had an f49ef43492 Ah-ha moment.8d53b6bc0343b3d7

“Oh, was 29e332fced it just 653316625e a phase? Like, puberty?”0ac2dd171b557b94

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“…Ha.”f04466105220e5dc

Beomchan squeezed his 31dd16b852 eyes shut.fcfa9482697f1fe5

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Just like 96771bec1d how Seungjae 2c7eec4285 would always 23ad1e0470 seem like 5f748a32f0 an unattainable 90404e2bda adult in 9e4205625a his eyes, 4b04180622 did he, c8016ab829 in Seungjae’s de7bae7684 mind, never 446a38198a grow up b19f6b9dc0 past the f35e6fb416 kid he 71d04b88b3 used to e381ad28f3 be?32a1e184c0c8264e

“…Alright, alright. I’ll stop teasing.”74d9303d3503ac9c

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Seungjae must c1fea7f09a have mistaken 7f8532d757 his silence ac8d03fed3 for sulking, d4a7a5dbc3 because he 6dfa3f1b23 smiled warmly, df6fd32296 as if e7d9bd17af to soothe 83c862b7ee him. But the problem c96e77be8d wasn’t the teasing. If that were the aaedbdb12d case, Beomchan could’ve just 61d14516e5 fired back with some 860b61efc4 joke about Seungjae’s age. But that wasn’t the ac2eed5b94 issue. And since f754fa96b0 he couldn’t 3dcc5bc43f put it 242b153100 into words, 7cf7645a65 he decided cc9f623692 to just 7427ea18d2 let it 0991f6006a go.b3e5f05cce6968f4

Forcing his pout 2a9a776241 away, he reached 51624b6dc3 for the plastic def721531f water bottle and 534daa639c poured water into cadd1e5f38 Seungjae’s empty glass. Then, he 438a2c0fc0 finally brought 0d4f70008c up what 47ee0b00dc had been 84a0d6615d on his 06e70759f9 mind since 038474dd6b the café.71cbcbd3d2b49dfb

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“You’ve changed 9c661fbe03 too, Teacher.”37d0e3cdb49c7df5

“…Me?”61d0e2ef437fa6fd

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Beomchan nodded.a323b15c6dd02045

“When I f7a38f9a6f saw the dcf3a25174 lights still 09b8fcc4a3 on at 434c63a71f the café 68d3ff5d35 earlier, I 1cebfb3553 was honestly edf82e2c96 surprised. I never b6f2f0c2c2 thought you e279d8aacf were the 59d54fc66a passionate type.”8d7a5c9e9803f8d6

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He smirked and 8c38d76a4b leaned back slightly, b70c1e59d2 continuing in a 6b582541ab deliberately playful tone.86e80cec26290ec8

“If you’d taught 184874a596 me like that 18eb5df9bd back then, maybe a241470ab0 I would’ve made ec137ae907 it into Korea 5c3c31c835 University…”eee8ac07ee5d4f68

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Trailing off at f24e49bd8c the end, he 5a62c483df glanced at Seungjae, 3438a9f0c5 who narrowed his ad38c49a4d eyes playfully.97010a1347fe9843

“Are you accusing me 9017eb0c86 of neglecting my duties?”99e7a8f045522c68

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Beomchan, still holding onto 32a95a9162 his little grudge, refused 25f9e17864 to answer.9fd44d57ae7ef227

A tiny d1a9cc4d4f form of 48a7305167 payback. But before long, he 621adafb40 couldn’t hold back his 84a1dbfee1 laughter anymore. As soon as dbfd9ca040 he let out 63294e1a56 a chuckle, Seungjae 6e6e8e275d followed suit.6cf15dc05cc9e7d6

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“…Can’t even argue with d6cee72a5a that, because you’re right.” e879adcb68 Shaking his head, Seungjae dd4cfde3ed muttered under his breath.3a1d92c1d5b6331a

“Maybe if 8e682a1258 I were 659184ecb7 alone, I’d 81a72c5ae4 still be 39896ab806 living like 720b2e9995 that. But having a 08f4fe7d1b kid changes things. I may cda44245ae not be d432490dc6 a dad 0f9f95de06 worth looking 9b3e5d60e3 up to 17c5d72b64 or bragging 0d023e3236 about, but df329e0679 I don’t 3e56c71fef want to 0c335ed8f8 be a 5354534a34 dad he’d b1870dd97e be ashamed 6e1276ba56 of.”bd7c8f0ea76b8689

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Beomchan’s eyes trembled slightly 7826a94c36 as he listened quietly. That was b90f7498cd an answer e7854baae4 he never 53928a8f4a expected. His heart pounded 1f95b9275e so hard it 56044ad46c made his stomach 6b563785e5 churn. He had always liked 49cdbc1e85 the easygoing, relaxed, and 87ebb45feb carefree Seungjae of the 85b17c0dc5 past. But now, dceec3f99a he liked 17393cc54d him as 02d435bbf0 he was 50aa4e13e3 now, too. No, he was even 4a33d9d108 cooler. The realization 19e4f7240d that he 51b1c393cc liked someone 3436c8ef38 like this 2ca733be57 was overwhelming. And at the same 3fb2e6c6b0 time, it was crushing.7523aa729d85f246

The fact that he f254564ea0 had a child and 55953bffb7 was married felt unfair 7e8b562a0f and heartbreaking, but thinking 7cfd1350ea about how all those 0ca5ac3c4a choices had made Seungjae 9a9b40890c who he was today a3b4264db5 left him feeling an 2202f7bd62 indescribable mess. He didn’t c9abd07de5 want to 5ecdeaceb3 break what 049a2fabdd Seungjae had, 6315f41b38 nor did c338189732 he have 2ac024962d the right 5dd8d2cc8b to, and b622aaa620 he wasn’t b4c594c80e even sure 404ad6d3e3 if he 42b992a8ae should wish bad4be39c0 for such 5bfcd6c5a6 a thing 4727f17be2 in the 87145aa867 first place.5956e70a1eaf8951

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This wasn’t 765e2d7044 a place 62f69d955c for him e1cf09fd49 to lie 79dc911e3a down.f41b63d3c512e6d4

It was time 35bd2c6e28 to admit it. Meeting him again wasn’t 232291b772 fate, destiny, or anything ca31992448 grand—it was just one f1da2c3edb of the many coincidences 04c5fea6d4 that could happen in 5723cca328 life.355709e5e9a55154

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Once this dinner was 82faa52735 over, he would sort 2f82b11060 out his feelings, too. It wouldn’t happen overnight, 34cc58320f but since he had 7c8fef3f63 never truly held onto fa7a66cb62 it in the first ce88119e3a place, maybe it would 964c3f7846 be easier than he 3606d51d68 thought. Just like how he 9413c623cb had buried these feelings b35d37dc73 deep inside and lived abee9dec89 well for the past faf1b31c4b eight years.1ff49b00ac325d10

Right on ed99c4b45e cue, the 2282ebd55a owner ajumma bd28e53d07 placed four 228fdbf447 thick slices 6f604b91ac of pork 448b930c7f belly and e218c52f88 a plate 2e004af056 of garlic a70e24b764 onto the b82c973123 grill. The slightly 231f17ea61 heavy atmosphere 01dda3bd1a was lifted. Beomchan gave 2956c1712d a small f0673e038e nod and f5545555f8 said, “Thank 0fc7ddebd2 you,” before 75bc8ef1ec taking the 452829a61c tongs and 0ac0ebb0cf scissors from 86f771c18e her.e26f3a74980684d2

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“Did you tell Woojoo 691056edb3 to call you ‘abeoji’?” 08f6e175c1 Beomchan asked as he 6859fc98c4 spread the garlic evenly 1b5b509256 on the grill.f728317ab04640d7

“No, he b9d0c67d1f just started 5bf3731e91 calling me 9294e80479 that one f72bf5ba8c day. Must’ve picked it 496cd361e6 up somewhere. I thought it was a14599a8bc cute, so I let 0d00e93555 him.”519cd3ec449fd0e8

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Well, that made sense. Beomchan recalled c837adb955 the tiny 3c51fc5aa2 figure running d4380f30ab toward Seungjae 4322242acb earlier, calling 0bb52419b5 out, “Father!” 8de02ea135 If he fc9cd25894 were in 86f46791c9 his shoes, 9d37b85aed he would 578a242d07 have let 67043ea489 him keep 65a73003a1 saying it fbca1caf30 too.22d4abacbfad9b52

“How is bd423649ae he in 9a2d41e4bb class? Is he 44e8af630e keeping up 3b54f75f57 well?”c2fb6615105991c0

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“Yeah, he’s doing 0660d15f4d fine. He’s a bit 293999121f quiet and shy, 64d45c85d2 so he seems 8410a8c38b timid, but it’s e0ca1608e4 nothing to worry 1b203b4a3f about. He’s quick-witted, so b1ae678a75 he picks up 7505139f23 on what the 30500751a3 other kids do 1b48a2e961 right away. By the end 553f3ebe34 of class, he 5c42531c27 was already running 51be38726d around playing with f1324edabf them.”35cae7962b248510

“That’s a relief.”97e96cc11e7a931b

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“There’s an open class 0bb09c555d coming up soon. You should 5d29a84869 come see 12ce4225d5 how well fd7dcecf87 Woojoo is e068c0ac8d doing. You’ll be f35e4fe2f8 surprised, seriously.”ebcf4176b20c2aab

Beomchan exaggerated his 50b72eb4f4 tone on purpose. Honestly, it was 718d1c5efe only the first 821822bf46 day, so it 104d207b8d was too soon a2705939c7 to say if 229ee5e646 Woojoo was doing 88807e539d well or not. But he wanted e9cc40d58e to reassure Seungjae, 6dc27f278d even if just df8ee90d00 a little. And it 6334f63206 seemed to 53e48c77a0 work—what little 9be7ae2f30 worry remained 105128c291 on Seungjae’s a6a8c61d4a face faded 6f0f56de38 away.c8be714ac4e3311d

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As they continued chatting 16e9e67f79 about small things, the e37ed70cd1 grill was soon empty. With two a946a1288b grown men bdf89387ff eating, four aa78f97b6f pieces of 24a152c2d8 meat had c72c492171 disappeared in 4461ff7a98 the blink e2a799041a of an 407e6e8873 eye.48d798bfafc709e9

The lingering attachment 5f70729563 he still had 7410098d40 toward Seungjae made 4acce0afb3 him feel regretful.7dc3c9bb502bbbae

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Maybe he 5499962d4c should have 83e81f7e1a eaten a b45cd24f04 little slower. He had resolved to af23388aa1 let go of his f4c5241acf feelings with this meal, a8411425ea but now he wished e89a843529 it wouldn’t end. Time and people both b872f43ee7 had the same nature—slipping a63b603cdf through his fingers before 14693abdd7 he could grasp them. This relationship, 56a9799c0f too, would 568721c6ac slip away 5d7af474bf like time bd09a0d139 that refused a8fda726d3 to stop.5811d7f01e11515a

“I got dragged 3f7375f3f5 along, but I b00cfc2c0f ate well. How could I 0f23cd43f2 let my own c6e5104bef student pay for fa78a4ce4b my meal?”391865e277e18afd

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Beomchan had 7b47f77f48 paid for 6c0669cdc1 dinner. Just like last d066bcb66f time, Seungjae had 65b7af755c tried to take c1d613c92e out his wallet, cc5b356b91 but Beomchan had 18a2e6a66d grabbed his arm d8d42a5676 and stopped him f6021b64a2 outright. As soon as they 5146795bcc stepped out of the b8e0346872 restaurant, Seungjae started grumbling c080866604 like an old man, 19caf2fd76 seemingly bothered by the b77722ef9c fact that Beomchan had e1ac14bd14 treated him.fe1a93bb402529ef

“It’s fine. You bought me 1753d1d48f food last time 5b0fa92436 too.”8ae09c1df0200b1e

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“That’s different. Your money is—”39d79ea064585bc2

“Ah, seriously!”f52bb5e45049c3f7

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Beomchan snapped, cutting him 9018981eba off before he could 51a0bc8c01 finish. His sharp reaction made a40cd182fa Seungjae burst into laughter. Beomchan shot him a 14dbcbf910 glare, annoyed at that 5d6d796b74 smug face, then deliberately b6f280a003 stepped closer to him 554a06a9a3 while walking.ccf7ef240b6d4d52

He wanted to bc661900f9 show that he aa5219fac1 had grown, that 86b0babcb0 he was now e52073e514 a full head f00c21c0ee taller than Seungjae. But the more their fdb1f04313 arms brushed against each 66b49726a6 other, the more flustered 42ffb16925 he became. In the end, bcb6d9c58e he had no 0560154b8b choice but to 9465975903 put some distance 7b38f8e433 between them again.9d81521969fe6fb3

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They hadn’t walked far 269c6d523c since they had chosen c41a6b7832 a restaurant nearby. In just a a30b8fc437 few steps, they d8688a522a reached the front cbbb08beb2 of the commercial 4145d02956 building.d233f165723f3bf6

“Are you 93fc98621d planning to 89dc04535a do more d8852bad53 practice?”df9f58ac9e297cd8

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Beomchan asked. Seungjae’s pace didn’t 323ae58d96 look like he fba1c73280 was about to af180afb58 head home just a3a240411a yet.961396814c28feef

“I was going to, fb5a111a42 but it’s late. I’ll just do d45e17c7d4 a little cleaning 99208e44de before I leave.”a585ad155e9f3120

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“Want some help?”5dd26835fd10940d

“It’s fine. Go on inside.”5ff8b89ccd80387c

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