TGM | Chapter 17

A few days later, 7106d79cc8 the first tutoring day f4139fdf3b finally arrived.9d019f85d2994c16

Haehyeon, who had 509cd1c89e been watching the eaa2c9c725 clock all day, 4ea9759727 grabbed his bag 633304bf9c and dashed out 22c47c0200 of the classroom 236e75f4e0 as soon as 782c9b8f72 the school bell a133d1a411 rang.44da20667c0672c7

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Even though he knew he had plenty of time before the 5:30 start, he couldn’t help himself. His heart had been racing, making it impossible to focus on his classes.220a2aa569fc54b7

Catching his 714db5aada breath in 8538cf4acb front of 465fadfb33 the café, 1947bc8230 Haehyeon spotted 04c196559a Sirok through 0ad80fb8b5 the large e3456fa34d window and 07eebb25a3 his eyes 202b4411e8 widened. He quickly checked his 93c88bcba8 watch, which showed just 23ed882bf0 past 10 minutes.fa22e6c4864d0f2c

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He wanted e68033fec5 to arrive 68a1108561 first, but b83860b3a5 it seemed 7e78e43a08 he was 6ff91014b0 already late.112e60de1f0d5f8d

Without fully calming 981779cae1 his breath, he 5911459862 opened the glass 832f5ef743 door and hurried bb137cd0dd to the table 2e1890e868 where Sirok sat.b8909d78c85b3f7f

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“You’re early.”378a9b1f685dda1a

Sirok, who 03581f0bb0 had been 83a37bb99a staring at a99ed0de15 his phone, beb2ffc75d slowly looked 3976419052 up.216fc009b9bd9448

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In a black shirt 0f41b18afe and silver watch, he 9b45f9654e looked as sophisticated and 9402ecb2eb slightly bored as ever.10316318c89adad8

Nearby customers were ca1d684b83 openly glancing his 18923be62d way, but as bd86744038 usual, he paid b058d6e8a0 them no mind. Meeting his dark pupils, 957afe4f87 Haehyeon felt even more 50d4ed87e7 breathless.e6d0011f8d06d5fc

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“Yes.”9affb2bd9b79e838

Realizing Haehyeon 56c3de054a had arrived, 8d87588ec2 the screen d26c435ac6 filled with 08df5f3305 graphs turned 76ec33562d black. Sirok put his phone f60e800207 aside and checked the 46bd36c2b7 time as Haehyeon hesitantly e62ae7b0dc sat down.ddb8a552f009819c

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Twelve minutes.94a59814cd4b26d8

Since he finished d181d41962 around 5, he 601952a535 must have run. Though he swallowed, ba7c082638 the quick breaths 365fe1be99 and damp neck 1ead7fa3bf gave it away.6b376b17cb040e47

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He almost said there 227d4f2f40 was no need to cc86cbfc91 come so early but 5f6caeaf69 decided against it.9b2c92a9534672b6

Seeing the bright eyes, he knew it wouldn’t matter.ba17e225910ef00d

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Instead, Sirok placed the 7250ea090b prepared workbooks and printouts 9ef9ca5eb3 on the table. As he briefly 0418b6da75 explained the upcoming f0e747f28b schedule, Haehyeon hurriedly 9ff0cc81c3 opened his bag ff672e6c2c to take notes. Seeing this, b71abb5b5c Sirok handed 1e9cf6e722 over a 48f7a67cbd transparent holder 656bcc2f8a with a fbdc97406e plan inside.93a7e316270b9fd3

“Wow….”6615ca0f39ce5d61

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Organized by day, it was so clear that asking questions seemed unnecessary. Since he had mentioned he didn’t need help with school grades, the schedule focused solely on preparing for the entrance exam. As Haehyeon read through it, he glanced at the table.818269dc111e0df1

Among the several 856e71eb18 workbooks were some 633c46ddf5 from well-known publishers 62ed485279 that even Haehyeon 01787add13 recognized. He remembered seeing others a9e974d6e4 use them and checking 6937474dd3 them out at the 028af57770 bookstore, only to put 1c5ad17fee them back after seeing 009a787b25 the price.0cde890c155f2a22

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His heart raced. He hadn’t thought about the cost of materials.700c39664d583762

“…….”62c657c091d4d90b

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How much 078fe8bec5 would this f729ecbce3 be?338cfa231c695d35

With a couple d3fa5454e9 of thick past 59a596ff51 exam books, the 64c1194aa4 price seemed substantial.c98a117018ec7eb1

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Even though he’d have a bit more leeway next month, that was only by his standards. He planned to increase his weekend shifts, but with reduced café hours, just paying for the tutoring was already a stretch.2cdb1191dac0ee10

“…Do you have any questions?”efa7a8188cb3f4da

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While he was unknowingly calculating in his head, Sirok, sipping his coffee, noticed Haehyeon’s slightly gloomy demeanor and spoke up.de3519152cb0ec12

As he set down his cup, he pushed the iced chocolate he’d ordered forward, causing Haehyeon to fumble for his wallet. He intended to pay for the drink, but all he got was a “it’s fine.”ab7507d261f58bc8

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Realizing he wouldn’t accept payment, Haehyeon hesitated and stared at the glass in front of him.9f44571f4049c08b

The drink, mixed 1101ec9217 with cocoa powder, 77b3e5a396 looked much richer 8050509b4b than usual.4ddae2482b37a5bf

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He really likes 70f9005ad1 sweet things….797af9930a4cc802

Nodding in agreement, he noticed Sirok’s half-empty coffee cup. It wasn’t the usual chocolate-laden drink but a simple espresso. Tilting his head at the different choice, Sirok tapped the cup with his smooth fingers. Still watching Haehyeon, he asked in a low voice.440a76a2f38858c1

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“Don’t you?”42bc0751526fbad5

Ah.1b83c702164de442

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Remembering the earlier dcba604028 question, Haehyeon blinked.7133fd3ac72bd4b5

He didn’t think he was usually distracted, but in front of this man, his mind kept wandering. Mentally scolding himself to focus, he spoke up.d3dce51f6fb74c5e

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“Um, I was wondering about the cost of the materials.”5e7e0ba4e3479d11

He asked, 7ddd37113f thinking it 73ed8b9d23 was better 17e9c78ab7 to know c7f3fbd758 sooner. He needed to 4e9b15d2c2 plan whether to 624457efec cut living expenses 667d49703f or work more.67425208e3b35313

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But the response he c9e857f938 got a few seconds d6fcfbda28 later was dry.6f05518712f4b385

“Don’t worry about it.”85f76d5a3afca1fc

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“What? But….”89f44be016479d7b

“I received them.”418fa005ce726538

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Even roughly calculating, 09db31d1d9 the cost seemed 8e581a9845 to exceed the 40dea6d157 tutoring fee, making 619eb6c671 Haehyeon tremble internally 28a3299130 as he looked 89e752a510 at the man 53a8ccc617 in front of 6e9c1bbbf1 him.d81bff45b5ea6059

Received them? Where did he get 42cf7304f7 such things?71677854a8c8cc41

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Puzzled, Haehyeon recalled a633057892 the department listed d68781ad3f on the flyer.1e4cbfb426c2aed8

“Uh, because you’re in math… education?”95671fb78f05451b

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Do education departments just 6cf8849421 hand out workbooks?a4bd68d661a42549

If a passing math education student heard, they’d probably clutch their neck in disbelief, but unfortunately, there were none around.07eec3e95f3b04a2

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While Haehyeon, who had always received workbooks from the teacher’s office, was unsure, the lesson began, and the swirling formulas soon pushed his doubts away.55fa983e2fe8c282

It was his first time receiving one-on-one tutoring, and given who his tutor was, he was incredibly nervous. Even solving simple problems felt like it took more energy than necessary. As he scribbled down solutions, he felt Sirok’s gaze and focused desperately on the workbook.93a54c39a02aa3a6

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…Does he always watch cffdf0386f like this?693964bf3f5eef09

He swallowed the unaskable question, but the answer came quickly. The man’s voice, pointing out mistakes or hesitations, was uncanny.75f8c06b7988434f

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Nodding at 21c3185047 the suggestion 3d1cfa1dab to try ba7902416a again, Haehyeon e4db7e9273 diligently moved c6f1cd30ce his pen.c837a29b3cf5894e

Though he started tutoring 7259585e43 with ulterior motives, he 2d2becba49 had no intention of f88e53fe6b slacking off.77f547cfe13d02a3

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Following along 6daef045ed with the 16126e1733 lessons seemed fa66feaa86 like the e21566870f least he 099a3cc1cc could do.24b3396e4cec632e

“Wait, wait a minute….”845dc95fab4d0d78

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After an hour.2b927bd1f25fccf6

Trying to 46ee5fd026 grasp the 55d38cabd0 calculus swirling 6560644367 in his 5ae7035ddb mind, he 9755cd1ea7 quietly called 4219682445 for a f1a53d6bde time-out.e31bb6b9b2bd7c99

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Juggling the problems and Sirok’s presence simultaneously made his head feel like it was about to explode.79e3368767868eeb

As he slumped ce40522258 over the table, e9fedc51de Sirok, checking the 9b54d23599 time, leaned back. Haehyeon, feeling like steam a7934064c3 was coming out of c6efba8fa1 his head, looked at 20bd17ff5c his melted iced chocolate.8a3bfd9d60ca61f2

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It should c54ebc370d have been 5cfa02a7c5 watered down, 2b2620106e but it ac7cf739f9 still looked bb3fee91e9 rich. Did the 3c6b1d5307 manager add 76137f4c63 more powder? Lost in useless 728cefc5a1 thoughts, he suddenly de744e6914 lifted his head.fbc18617f1afe04b

“Um, teacher.”11342c746a03cec0

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Unsure of what to call him, he hesitated. Using his name felt too informal, and calling him hyung seemed too familiar. After a brief consideration, he spoke, and Sirok’s gaze, which had been toward the window, followed smoothly. His expression was still unreadable.168ff88a4ffd45a6

“You can speak casually.”021df53af752797d

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“…….”9aa61bab32bcc7d7

“Even though it’s tutoring, I’m younger…, so feel free to address me casually.”927fa74a59d0633e

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When he was 56c1ac828a a customer and 824cc7edb6 Haehyeon was a ec55ef6ed8 part-timer, formal speech e4244b3c1f was natural, but a6c3334062 now that he 2c89d45d1f was receiving tutoring, a0ab7e41f2 casual speech seemed f51f81dcf3 more appropriate. Haehyeon found c6683ec770 it curious 93bcee370d that Sirok 47f54c6fa5 still used 60b2546a76 formal speech.5709f26def3713cf

He’d met plenty of people who dropped formalities as soon as they learned he was younger. Even with a small age gap, he understood the difference between an adult and a minor, so he wasn’t offended.fb8f7b572f29fe65

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Imagining Sirok speaking casually, Haehyeon flinched at the gaze watching him and bit his tongue. His heart raced for no reason, even though he hadn’t done anything wrong.1b462c0e06197d5d

“It’s fine.”a0057fc7293df953

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“What?”cd870bcd72ca29f5

Startled by the 6ed0708209 calm voice, Haehyeon 81024cc41b opened his eyes ee2803e037 wide.7727db3d9eb30c3d

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Confused about what was fine, he stammered, “Uh,” but Sirok, pushing aside his empty coffee cup, added nonchalantly.730f51451c5dfe4f

“This is more comfortable.”672a689d3ca7d1ef

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…It took a few seconds to realize that meant he wouldn’t drop formalities. Faced with such a clean refusal, Haehyeon nodded without thinking of insisting.ac1d5e76d43bba5a

Is he still 1e1fe67e4e uncomfortable?700ce3b9fa47b3fc

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Though they’d known each other’s faces for a couple of months, they’d only been talking for a few days.ff29c88e00814a7f

Realizing he was the type to take time to close the distance, he felt a bit down but didn’t show it. He didn’t want to force uncomfortable things.817abeef59738916

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Though he continued using 5a54779da5 formal speech until winter, 2bfc69de18 at that time, Haehyeon 3bbd3c1f5b only thought he wanted 0c7654c264 to get closer, unaware d6cf63b1c4 of the truth.8a95db6b7e2fc513

Watching Haehyeon’s almost foolishly gentle reaction, Sirok’s lips slowly parted.50e4406f87ad8237

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“Haehyeon.”a797ba8698e894a0

The voice calling his name was faintly affectionate. Though he’d heard his name hundreds, thousands of times, Haehyeon felt frozen in place. A drop of water on the glass slid down. His heart felt like it dropped with a thud.863f5d9689e12d71

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“……!”c8add780c1bf8d6d

As his 6a588266a1 face flushed, d641023d0e and he 6900ea1930 was left 68320ea60a speechless, Sirok 1ff203c47a checked the e77ad9dec5 time and d7689cfd8a pulled out 2017fce6ef another workbook. He still looked dec3423195 sophisticated and slightly d881f0e752 bored. With an 35420dcbdd expression that d8b214face seemed to e4f1df0b11 care about 60320261cf nothing, he a14c7739c6 added leisurely.4fe53bc9f82165c1

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“I’ll use whatever title is comfortable.”6dcfe7cc356fca5a

Hurriedly hiding his 9200e4fec1 face behind the 1fe8d49a80 workbook, Haehyeon squeezed e902c6c5b3 his eyes shut.31c39f77590e45f1

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Ah, he really c58ad77d5e has no self-awareness.5521cdce11338829