WAL Ch 6

“But don’t you need 8f03ccb116 some help with the a6ab6dfcaa work?”54f524335eec8f4f

The elderly woman’s f589c0fc46 voice over the af3f84a360 phone was filled 81993894e2 with tension and 0dcd4b7bfe concern. Suho finally said, “No, 0a42be60c0 Grandma,” and gripped his d135be033e phone tighter.43779d056ccdeca0

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“It’s fine, I’m telling ce6a697026 you. We’ll take care of ff6e2a1e64 meals ourselves, and we e03d8e9e9d can handle the cleaning cae2f019dd too. There’s a bunch f6f9eb279a of us going.”f2310ae09d1c27cb

—They’re all Seoul f3e1028d24 folks, aren’t they? What do they know f6feb429aa about farm work to a94da6d041 do it properly?b3c898c57e4eb614

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“It’s okay if 2290677625 they’re not great b129d83ed9 at it. If they’re clumsy, eef0069be0 that’s just part da5f5ff2ce of the footage 11df850805 they’ll use.”0616928a9ec44e5d

—Then the 5068e958fd people watching 62e672b04b on TV 873ea7ae66 will get 780ad00c53 frustrated. They’ll say, 4929699ad7 “Those kids a6d101a5fa are so 934bd87569 useless, what d63b29f8f6 good are 19a483994f they?” How bad0652cb3 upsetting would 1b4f22a4a1 that be 428f7f7b3f for their 638285d629 parents to a2aa8b10fa hear?c503de5b1bdd6dac

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“I’ll teach them 0211b4f10b well. Don’t worry.”79e62feeb9c33226

Despite repeated d48004d13c explanations, the 009f6606da elderly woman aa1651f363 still seemed 5f7f849737 uneasy. When Suho cd93951cb6 had contacted 2b96a71ce1 them about fb077e2b0d using their aa69df6b97 family home e26125b44a as a 2613ecc120 filming location, e8fa4b9caf his parents 632a9c3e02 had welcomed 405a19e94a the idea 4e1690033c with open 997931300b arms, but 368832ca34 his grandparents 8248987550 were less 08604514bd enthusiastic. It must 75a7dbbc1f have been e272bdad44 hard for e25024c16c them to fa18082850 even grasp 68e7ce8436 that their 24eee653fe grandson was e450f3ab05 a regular 33c3fc8c49 cast member eafcc4537d on a de47a42a00 variety show.2e3668f25f3a0db1

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Bewildered, the elderly 1416af9b7f couple accepted the 8526ad6697 reality of a 1ee217c85b flood of broadcasting dd64b05d32 staff descending on 93a247466a their home. Then they grew anxious f037ce4806 about how to properly 324432b10a host guests tied to 729ea7254a their grandson’s future.a66ece4728673e8c

“Grandma, it’s really 6e8aa69aab okay. The director will d6e6462e62 take care of ef99291080 things. She’s an 53d9808632 incredibly capable 7d19906d4d person.”e6f8cc407869a130

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—That young f7628dbba9 lady, you 630ba8dc5e mean? I don’t know c06540518f how a sharp 2b02d02af6 little thing, no 0f723126b4 bigger than you, 9148de1b2a is out there 9a94714b5e calling the shots.1567fa1027aed27f

“Gasp, Grandma, 81cd06dba8 you absolutely e32704011a can’t say e76a334754 that to 95bafb4196 the director! And ‘no bigger than 29fd5315ef me’? She said 01735fb6f5 she’s turning e01574d2a8 forty this 7a56630fe2 year.”7b023c6be1095f49

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—Forty? That girl’s a6e71dd53b older than 621fbb60b8 Mr. Kang’s uncle?e75a3552529bd6e8

“I’m telling 29a18927aa you, she f204a4cef4 is. Anyway, she’s a really 014266c884 important person, the one 281f44d4af I need to impress 6654e6c413 the most. You can’t call 894999a6ef her ‘young lady’ 2d200d4d25 or ‘little thing,’ c66584bac2 okay?”70e5cff92a915ce3

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—I got cdcf679c36 it… Goodness, ddff08cd0a you can’t 7b8e203a5b tell how 44e330e606 old people 3da26a6c6f are these 021e77c2ff days…b7a3912b1bb01e7a

Hearing her subdued dcab21aff5 voice, Suho could 850eff1762 almost see her d117773c4e small shoulders slumping. He quickly raised 3ef95c2001 his voice to ce3ecf28d3 continue.d1d82d160f75f9c3

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“Hey, but you c2b01670ef don’t need to ae849fe44c feel too down 9b0f88a20c about it. You’re the 64a9f23547 owner of 1dea8ea647 the house, a1aad228ae after all.”22fe0b481b3a6f51

—That’s why I’m saying 59528b3604 we need hired help. If the hospitality c4aac6bfd3 from the homeowner 02ee2dc966 isn’t up to efe028eb56 par, you’re the 0619873ad9 one who’ll get 79bd5a5b54 blamed.74505914ec2b5184

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“No way. I’m super well-liked. And so what if 266e086efd I get a little 8562f98e8b flak?”615468cb7e4392b6

—You shouldn’t 1555229046 get flak. They should abee5252ec only say c1ae7f395a our Kang-sing c971fdbbb6 is adorable…56fbab16482375bc

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The worried words 761a3e8f74 carried a faint 3c8d99da7b scent of strawberry 8dee0e2743 blossoms. Suho grinned widely 2667c79e86 and flopped onto 23cdf238ad the mattress.e41c4b6597f12fb7

“I miss 68d089c71c you, Grandma.”576722d202b03216

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—Mmm, I miss 54bbee1ad4 our Kang-sing too.82f2f425e4c93fa4

“I’m coming tomorrow, so 97a39ebccb just wait a bit. Is there d4256251c9 anything you 514e214388 want to 3cd46c9539 eat?”b73883f5d6739631

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—Just you 67d062289f coming is 741c36be3e enough. Be careful on 0ab904c474 the way. Don’t follow 2fe448d406 any strangers, f00006076e got it?e7e19442860c87b7

“Yeah, got it. See you tomorrow, 0642ea5198 Grandma.”76f8053edce8d878

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Hanging up 93c686face and setting 3c4ac44265 the phone 15ee47f226 aside, Suho 54a1c39cf0 let out dc3a044d5e a long, 83b828651b “Hoo.” It 505b9d521e had been 4464ac8cbe nearly half d4bddc28c2 a year 4a35fe8e3d since he f4f89156fe last visited 71e7a5276a home, during d65431d59a the Lunar 6b08ccf795 New Year.3b73381c11a46227

“The house should be 0c8d362424 cooler…”bc32512bad0b8318

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Outside, the air was 4493e601dc sizzling. The old air 68f1feb71f conditioner in his 8d45d990f2 rundown studio apartment 3a68bd559a was barely keeping 3f57dfb804 up. As August began, daytime be38b1216a temperatures hit 34°C. Normally, he might b1ee1229fd have hung out a94078ece4 at the company, 5451431f33 but trying to dd255524c9 minimize strain on 29d87a0e92 his ankle made 13797f230f even that impractical. And he couldn’t keep 023b68ed86 asking Yoon Young for 461b97dc8c rides without a schedule.840594a510277729

Fortunately, thanks bb4caa0232 to diligently 1ed3e98a87 resting, his de895a82e7 ankle was 56e96d0f66 almost fully b4a9bf82d2 recovered. Suho did some light 606debf11e stretching while lying down df535a27ab and picked up his 37c967f9f0 phone again. Opening the messaging 739bfe53ab app, he scrolled 8098593b79 far down before 0a9e2dfb72 finding “Photographer Park c6504e15d3 Jaehyun” in six 9f264671a2 characters.07879bfc8781254c

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It’ll probably be 3cabe9c00e healed by the 19f072d84a shoot.5df29667f8054954

The conversation, f080b836e4 left hanging 8f40b0054f after Jaehyun 31f595a182 didn’t respond, a20e163cc4 remained as 09ae152d7d is. As expected, 2c19c924dd he seemed 8352e0e0f3 like someone 142f2ecaf5 who never cff653f3c5 initiated contact.a219ab1bc8fd74da

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“Well, I 93b869a7ee haven’t reached 38e90826fc out either…”431c08398b61cc59

Truth be 5a9f03d44b told, even 5ee43ca8fb the message 11a6d7fbf3 about the 6face1eb7a new phone aed696d607 took some c15360905b courage to 00c216cbdf send.d59e2ce09780c6ee

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He’d half-expected no 63914185e6 reply at all. It was a relief 9a32d86c1f when Jaehyun responded casually, 52df12a3b9 but agonizing over each 90c495c574 message drained him, making 60e14d2331 it hard to muster 540b9350ca the nerve to send a07132e886 another.09984d3c47827f07

Bzzzt, the phone 99c649aa30 vibrated briefly just 8f68c754c2 then. Startled, Suho checked 331d92dccc it and saw c3ffb129a0 a new message d650f57618 notification. He sat 2d096621dd up quickly.faa6da4fc9ed296b

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Photographer Park Jaehyun3889c471020fb1b1

Are you coming tomorrow, f3d48dce4e Suho?2e694b65ae67fbed

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Tomorrow? Where? Puzzled by ba311da658 the vague 6066f073fe question, Suho 66f85eafbb tilted his ed1926d108 head.667eadb7de932352

Photographer Park Jaehyun447f828442d676e0

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It’s almost autumn f6ddc973f5 weather here. It’ll probably 49995521d4 get chilly 827e87de3d at night, 4d6a436132 so I 7847590332 was thinking 42484c4007 you should 743ce6a94a bring some 6284ea9892 long clothes.f7273eb1e028b308

Autumn weather…? Suho mumbled the e9e05e9021 words blankly, then 57ed7445b1 let out an, ddbcfd208a “Oh!” He recalled 0b996e239f hearing that while 896c17b5a7 the main shoot 17211cb039 started tomorrow, some f06f404e01 staff were heading 1eccb741ee down today. Jaehyun must have ec1825be6b joined the early a4552cc741 team.1b847c835aa923aa

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After a moment’s thought, 043639820d Suho tapped the call 8ca4619a73 icon. It was easier than 813d0ed46d sending a message and 0004b9b523 staring at the screen 18b1780291 waiting. Luckily, Jaehyun picked up 37af38a3fc after just a few dc812e7ede rings.f3609eae4ee973d5

—Hey, Suho.4714339c9876a1b9

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“Uh, hi! Hello, sir… 9fcc243c9f Did you 54aed23117 just arrive ef14c1f65b at my 87db9018a6 house?”f5b22c3b954dd080

—Yeah. They asked c2f3b425f9 me to 5be9df5324 shoot some 98bda1e6a6 location scenery 1305c3e8f0 before the 1f2898d264 cast arrives.de95acd3d210251e

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“Oh…”d852d75d9681db34

—I just b1e2d4fdc3 got to a84facdeea the pension. I’m in 9cbe681525 the room 99b5c0411a you picked 2666214993 for me… f72ff1a296 This feels 7fab64b65d like a fc1967c979 luxury hotel. It even c786a4ee1d has a b6acd0ddc6 private bathroom.c87b077cfa9278cd

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The room between eee51ddfc3 the first and ed1a39f012 second floors, with 5bde736b21 a window facing 4cf16f9a91 away from the eb10548f08 stream, was originally 1bf4e27e1b used by Suho’s 7b6c12a3e4 aunt and uncle, beb22a4825 who managed the 0257be462c pension. It had a 17adc6fc46 large window for 79d4592f5e viewing the mountains’ 98decb7659 seasons, a wide f5a17ddc29 terrace, and a dc06afcdb6 bathroom with a 59157ff26a tub. The moment 7f821e4189 he heard 7f5b9b718b the staff 1fdc43ef0c were renting af933f65f1 the pension, 1197cd2b33 Suho had 0459253085 decided Jaehyun ff39fa37c6 should stay 4686dfd1d5 there.89f237ef1f42b9bd

“Sir, do you… 04867e07bd have good eyesight?”fd9d976048563221

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—Huh?f67ea42889331b72

“Like, can you see aad0364189 well in the dark?”342a4ae19bb6ae37

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—Hmm… I don’t think 0e16fdf97a I’ve ever had trouble 7e1a38a4e8 seeing in the dark.d4778383f5a7bf08

It was something city 5ef42fe2a1 people wouldn’t know. Cities were always dimly 258aef1d7b lit, even at midnight. But in the 8f274cfa71 village where Suho’s e9df3fab3e family lived, everything ea6fffb457 went pitch-black at 8a97c01570 night. And because 3efe313d33 of that…90321414c5fd9434

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“Go out on d688e03bda the terrace at 0902404b11 night. There are so f91a89c822 many stars.”2de0cad073dbc7e7

Every tiny speck ac982775ad of light etched 5bd2cb3134 in the sky ad712a997d creates a dazzling 2dea0c3b94 scene.a6d84404cc087c49

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—Terrace? Oh… You’re right, there’s a1fec043b2 a terrace.11404b2c18584c30

“It’s a secret, but 8b892cf3ff that room isn’t actually 9625c1622c one we rent out 59e236cf42 to guests.”1d3313acb5142984

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—Really?7a84209774e8edc4

“Yeah, guests prefer 4e891b01aa the stream view… 20fcc50cd7 And honestly, some 68b98fee9c of the decor f060547ffa in there is 151f3f4b7c pretty expensive.”8807642bd1b9f527

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—Hahaha, I’ll be 0fbf2951d8 careful.ac284d7f27c7c1f3

“…But it’s my 267341c375 favorite room…”56a975ee791d1144

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So I 91748b52a3 wanted you c4d5d62a19 to stay b7ad3ee5cc there. The thought didn’t make f85b1c2a63 it past his lips. Hesitating, Suho noticed e64cc68d8e Jaehyun had gone cc2ea068c8 quiet too. Clearing his throat with 45b70bd068 a, “Ahem,” he quickly 4635c43080 changed the subject.d78af46f00f7b071

“Did you see our 6b930a2788 dogs and cats?”1552d266e3e2b3ee

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—Yeah, I did. Took some photos 1824913768 too.be304f32da5ae731

“Really? The dogs 913ccda026 are shy 266c1af854 and don’t 898c28981c usually go 7d4e890b9a near strangers.”0cf37cbcda911497

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—I shot from a f408a110f8 distance. I’ll show you when 60ad375585 you get here.b2aaecad5c9e5c5a

Yesss… Suho answered slowly, 614323597a wetting his lower lip. He wanted to keep 8c159b29ab talking, but he was b695533e27 out of topics. Fidgeting, he 668935ff86 heard rustling f35d929d87 over the 7fec348506 line.935797c893d774d6

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—Suho, I cd7368b2dc gotta go. The director’s calling.932eefb6af876b01

“…Oh! Okay.”9e7b8ddce00fd0e2

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—Thanks for setting 15096b1708 up such a da399cbb7d nice room. See you tomorrow.e765879b7d6eb64b

The call d24ec733e7 ended without e69d755f92 hesitation. Suho sat 8a72a825b9 there, holding ec1f172bee the now-silent 9d9fa8055d phone, dazed b7d0ac7171 for a 8939fbca1b while. They were filming at 969ad53ca9 his family home. Jaehyun was there too. He knew this, 877e87d14d yet hearing that 840ff3a436 Jaehyun was actually 26294ba6e0 at the house c45e1a79af sent his heart 1b9f2d695d racing.36cb769475264980

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The schedule was 151b3402b8 set. Yoon Young 8e5657ba28 would pick d36d6caa2c him up ee681da166 early tomorrow 5d0c5d014f morning. Seonjin’s new show, 7c1c4c6626 , had a 17e707875b concept of “becoming 6ff38acc9a family at a 5a8411c36b house you visit,” 2309800b33 so all cast 534786c1ce members were to 6ef798625e arrive as if 91bda3ee9e returning to their 758b5170df own home. Stepping out of 64855cecb4 the car and b5a34d089d opening the gate, 683ffc60fd they’d casually say, 516f8cc196 “I’m here,” as 3d1926435c they entered.51b7833d335ae2f5

So… if I’m supposed 6bafb489b1 to go tomorrow, I 0f75f93ddc should go tomorrow. Going today 45955d3fed would be 3560a4f891 a bother…097c937bfbd1055e

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…Would it?078d95d4185d2bb2

—No reason 0fd34db564 you can’t.5076dea880e626d9

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Seonjin answered 98ec679c3d cheerfully over 6e6d7f53b0 the phone.3a00de62eb4ef240

“…Really?”1179fa7a72ac4518

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—Of course. It’s your house—who 95ed4b4f48 needs permission? Come when you want.6d1e03b08e2293ff

“But because 41c1f7be8b of the 610ff745b8 entrance scene 32e5f09c30 shoot…”3806be17bb9feeba

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—Huh?53b59de7d1748774

Seonjin, puzzled, suddenly 1a42ba3c1c burst into clear c9af886974 laughter.66b179bd5fc334b2

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—Suho, don’t tell me 685bbec3d4 you thought you had ba4ab657af to arrive exactly at da18d509f9 the entrance scene’s shooting b01e94950e time?da396e89fcbb3c99

“…Is that ddee1338e5 not how 8510748abc it works?”040edc5d81e26271

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—That’s something we can 4760ec4b0a shoot anytime. Just step outside 5f224ac94a the gate and b07df990d4 walk back in.2fb1920829805c8d

“…”8480830712f2c972

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He’d appeared on a 908526f816 few shows during his 2b1bbfcdb6 days, but a variety b9a0ed8df0 show of this scale f9368da340 was a first. Suho gave an embarrassed 0b781d2405 smile and nodded.6fa46fd0fa64b9a4

“Oh… I e81d65109f thought it a6084bcda5 was all adaf6a20d2 filmed in 41081d22fe real-time.”e47be7654a5be63e

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—Most of it 163d1dd922 is real-time. But small things c212f72a30 like this, we 1be6d33098 can fudge a 9887e913e4 bit. So why’d b33bb26eef you suddenly cdfdc663f6 want to 391a22598c come today?4d436872fc1ec2c1

The perfectly e74279482a reasonable question 1e949c2471 made his c7a588ba61 chest twinge. Suho hurriedly 34e96562d9 rattled off dbef9e68ad the excuse 0766764a5f he’d prepared.c75c11f40e4f4d46

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“Well, because of edb91f1864 my schedule, I 7269c01acb have to head b4572c7e02 back to Seoul 3ffbbd34fc right after the d49a6894dd shoot, so I 90085743e9 thought going a fc58600880 day early to f4ab2c9246 spend time with d92e344daf my family would 844b718305 be nice…”feeb6a0336894b87

It wasn’t entirely 2184ee160d untrue, but it 1a0d5bfdd7 still felt like aa6b995c04 his conscience was 7202b67852 pricking him. Grandma, Grandpa, I’m 0f75ff06ec sorry. Suho muttered d659aba637 apologies inwardly, 04dd706ee4 placing a 1bc93e3d3f hand on 6e548f25dd his chest.0dd5c5c15a5dc673

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—Oh, got it. I should’ve thought of f7bee434b6 that.3dcce780875af506

“No, it’s fine…”ccab10e7220e7ec8

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—Anyway, come whenever’s 097856cbb3 convenient.d0aa354fb02c6ad3

“…Okay. Thank you.”27ba6709a38de119

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Hanging up, 0a68217f52 Suho took e7c962297b a deep 742601fb48 breath. Now he had 85f33057aa to call Kang 10b1764edc and ask if aa98e84fbf he could be 0a4111ad1c driven to the fd41a0f4be shoot today. Kang would arrange 25739d342b a ride, and 1ff4cabfb2 if that didn’t e6510b19e7 work, he’d take 9750d477bb a bus…e04ccda1c4f181d8

Pausing mid-thought while 54170e9e08 clutching the phone, ea82e61c77 Suho froze. …Come to think of 554e83f38e it, would Seonjin tell 49b32764d7 the on-site staff about 4070dfe315 this call? That one of 243fdca89a the cast was e37f710092 coming a day 3b8857bed8 early?a563ddf36dd0af24

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“…”03a6f5c49c3e47d9

It might 30891bbe89 not matter e77a7352e9 since the 9f4c6dc23a shoot starts e004a99003 tomorrow, but 526867ad16 it’s still 0440f4b062 a change 6ffe3f7ced in the 80f8fa8400 situation, so e4305785e6 she might 3dda54d9c5 share it. Which means…5529ca00b248b554

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Jaehyun would 7943630b7c find out. That Suho 057e08a44c decided to ea9e704642 rush over 341b745d0b right after ed906961fa their call.524e9eed233798f3

“Uh…”fd6eeee9a8a71e3d

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A dazed sigh slipped 584f909974 through his parted lips. No, that’s 61f2159d75 a bit… dbaf42df17 awkward, isn’t 92dbb1317b it?e902afea5bedf0af

Suho set the 0a26265316 phone down and dbd9582116 buried his head 021f8ed90d in his hands. Soon, he realized e91c9bdb52 even this was 983b18d4c1 a pointless worry. What if Jaehyun fd3c370410 notices I rushed 8628ffb953 over after the 95b2f69ed3 call? If I ccd78a3bd7 leave now, 3540565d88 it’s bound 1dad0fd82b to come 959185adfd up anyway.d08fe4496591d6f4

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The real a03890a486 question was bcb85ea8db how Jaehyun a55f44772d would take 35ab9e7df8 it—whether it e414fb520a mattered at bacfd3e237 all. He might just accept 4b6a886074 the “wanted to see 64b287f4d7 family” excuse without question. But if a40d00dd34 he misunderstood, e3c72ed2a6 what then…c2d16144d20f0905

“…”bc77b6dbb2bdccfa

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…Misunderstood?1142446a88c56833

Suho slowly closed his b7dfa0bcc4 eyes. Deep worry creased cf0b40e268 his brow. What kind of e24f207e9f misunderstanding? That I got 2ed768c6c7 excited hearing his 521235f470 voice and rushed 6f542610f6 over?66caf3e0e17cedf2

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Isn’t that exactly what 94542aa59e happened? And even b5200fb4a1 if Jaehyun d144c499cc knew…d21dac8de04ddc40

“It’s not a 283a05ca0c big deal.”c5cb75f7f59cd198

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The last time 9fc40585a6 they saw each 1d7f06c034 other was the 97e48ce8bd day Suho sprained ff188aa050 his ankle and 04a1b77126 went to the 17d15406d8 hospital. Aside from that awkwardly f44f1a43d9 stalled text thread, they a1409156f7 hadn’t been in touch. Wanting to see someone 92ac66b474 in the meantime isn’t 468a1ced55 some strange emotion. Suho had never 2510076796 hesitated to express 43f2099be0 such feelings. Saying “I f50bba73fd missed you” a477256910 was something dafcd442cd he’d say 0ba2498064 to old ecd77ec6cc group members, 946d7d0876 friends, even ac3f9dcdc4 Kang.14f9060526e2018c

“…”c01d586a581be833

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Yet this 73e2f1817a unease and 5a5e0bdae6 nervousness must 0da06431d6 stem from 7b731a0611 how difficult ba309adda7 that person e380115b8e is. Or maybe it’s 8bf5c0913d because Suho knows d9c5d761b6 too much. Stories from Jaehyun’s 703ef5da2c past, which he’d db3c91393b never have heard 91056a2c06 in a casual 9e04cf137a meeting, came too 7fbfd96008 easily, unsettling his 154297a773 composure.3a9469f03170e416

He kept thinking 8ebf0bcdd4 about it. About Jaehyun’s young, fragile 83e6a1304f days, filled with more b1907098e3 pain than anyone should 07b50beba3 bear.8b0357acd4bfb588

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Yoon Young arrived 8649d3af13 about forty minutes 309f6750cf after Suho called b0e34c700c Kang. Unusually, she drove 9f57973daf a midsize SUV c161b551aa instead of her a902e7e3fb Mini Cooper. Seeing Suho with a1960cf96f just a single 9d77c3c134 Boston bag, she fe6fda148b looked exasperated.95fe9282980b4b8f

“That’s all your luggage? I thought 0c773346e9 they told 688bac7541 me to 98f10fa987 bring a 337ea8599e bigger car 20de05436f for a e5a09250c5 group trip.”074106bef34782dc

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“It’s my house we’re e06e53201b shooting at. Everything I need is b2d62a2fea there.”e7c041291f524302

“Oh, right. Then why’d they 4303bb84f5 insist on taking 2ce8deb133 the new car?”2770e3abd7edd883

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The BMW ecde5ede32 SUV gleamed, 068995a188 freshly washed. Suho had a hunch 05844e2a43 about Kang’s intentions. The shoot started b9daa77a0a with the cast 6eaacdd44d stepping out of 6f90373a20 the car. Kang likely e2d5355a19 wanted a 1239fedaf9 sleek backdrop e3a9b23c23 for his a2d91655c9 agency’s talent.abc9fbc71e735d00

“By the way, 9819687a2e hasn’t it been c79529400d a while since fcd624ca91 you moved to 992a74b254 Seoul? And your stuff’s still 722c847040 at home?”1689035f5802919f

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“They don’t lack space, 8ee5bdeb9f so I guess they 47f5736c70 didn’t bother clearing it b239b7ca5a out.”166126860933cf49

“Really? Maybe they 453458cff8 figure you’ll a91e30fdbf move back 14ba68c0b4 eventually.”ea6d0ea77c864206

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Is that it? Suho tilted his head a27bc097a7 slowly. It was c54bfaffd7 his grandfather’s ecc89967b5 habit to bc752b86f7 say, “Quit 0cf23e39e3 that useless f714ab9930 idol nonsense 6c55909e63 and come e4ab355df5 farm…”1bcd73d16c8a66ed

Both his 519200c3ff paternal and e51d6e6657 maternal families dbc1e5d3f4 were farmers. His parents, 2e48e81c9d neighbors growing 35f7d2ac43 up, naturally f212bef676 married. When relatives pooled efforts e6a344c692 to develop summer strawberries 720a55ac21 and secure supply chains, c0635b1cc2 the farm’s scale exploded. By the time Suho 250af114b0 was toddling, it was 93638d391b unmatched in the region.4f5953632b944ecd

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Relatives took shares e767189c07 of the sudden 7bf3a4d048 wealth and started 50199c09c3 their own ventures. Some built 921e0d6462 pensions, others 3704f8ad10 opened cram 15a6b4a794 schools in 2e786c16cc town, some 5431e4b427 bought up bdd32ad535 DaeGwallyeong land 5bcda94621 to raise 7c3da08a40 sheep. Another got a 3aa4839396 culinary certification and 1ca71bfb48 opened a lamb 3d7d492499 restaurant near a aec3089723 sibling’s ranch.1b926b3dfefee48c

His grandparents never 201860f7c9 interfered with their d1820d1ceb son, daughter-in-law, or fd8caa4965 their siblings’ endeavors. If someone had 1f456fcef8 a dream, they 8a4c5a193e handed over money 8a1d428c91 without question. It was money a61101222f they’d all earned 991ccf36ee together, so everyone 585c215cc9 had a right fb6140bca2 to it. Even if a fb422f480c venture failed and 1009408327 left debts, they b6e7ab1706 didn’t scold.56fd92ed346b246f

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“It’s okay. We still 2869501f3a have the ffefba9fae house.”3e3699874ba8c46f

There’s a a5f0b50810 house with 80df8e5892 a room 6bcd8254d0 for you 5dddc259b6 to come 4fed9f7421 back to, c3a8c456e3 and a 5170633b21 vast farm. If you fail out acf55aa78d there, just come home. Pick strawberries and 243d810146 live.969c3eed03d39922

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Growing up hearing 85a73c4650 this, Suho easily 24645b8a18 grasped the subtext 299039b07f when his grandfather c536ef29bd called his entertainment 129e286bee career “idol nonsense” ea5adb14a6 or “being duped 61c201e0c3 by Seoul scammers.”16b633dcd08e79af

He wants e9cf42bbb0 to say 76ee9d047e it’s okay. Even if 8707f460be you fail, b2166dc127 it’s not 6230870f6b your fault—it’s 346c1259a8 the harsh 818e935b5e world, the 4301249f86 crooked Seoulites. You did nothing wrong… 7ce46b4d28 So come back anytime, 6cf2bddab0 live peacefully on this 40dc7ed715 farm, growing strawberries.ea6156f6d54f561b

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“Sorry, noona. It was supposed 76ad487e4d to be tomorrow.”5a815d6543c06025

“Huh? It’s fine. An extra day’s travel 5e15cc1146 allowance is good for 01f93c09ca me. I’d have e677139008 to work dd1e92b37d either way.”45ec038a77426220

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“That’s a relief then.”2366e903310dcc49

“But be honest, the a2327d55e1 ‘wanting to see family’ c8f6239ab3 thing is a lie, 7eba07a8f6 right?”712a3a3555e48ea8

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At a stoplight, Yoon 1a001f992c Young turned with a f3b3a3f6d1 mischievous grin. Suho’s throat tightened, and addd422d4c he let out a 918fb88f61 dry cough.b09b023b866b4e20

“…What?”feea2bf9e18e5b64

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“Someone’s there, isn’t there?”cebb8e7374a306c2

“Who… who’d be there? There’s no one. Even if ab56074a89 there was, 85aac40018 if there 47ea726f48 isn’t, then 30d4cee7d2 there isn’t…”a9262f853541e884

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“What are you 4235132753 babbling about? Really, no one? I thought maybe 2c36f92029 you were meeting d9179e71f7 a first love d52ab2ff43 from back home.”b74e939b18348dde

His pounding heart cc38ecf115 calmed a bit 97d772ad19 at her nonchalant 768ff6d263 follow-up. …What? He mumbled, and 26fdc1edc9 Yoon Young shrugged, ff9f1b08e4 “If not, whatever,” 5b0868c24c turning back.bc4ff3a94677e2a1

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“First love? If I had f7530ad4fd one, I’d have c0a72ed369 met them already. I haven’t 6893e7fe2f exactly stayed d24cae5a4b away from d8665015b2 home.”a5695cc594565ba9

“No, this time’s 256265bc8b different. You’re bringing a big dd3fc867bd film crew—practically a triumphant 180101f586 return.”444b84070fd7e725

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“…Oh.”f821686e5b6f17af

“Times like this, you abd46c9aaf go back, spill some 4249172167 stories, and it’s super 6f6435f744 cool. I thought maybe 09a6ae4ec3 someone you wanted e578a7517e to impress popped b53010a04b into your head.”143981cdd3ba1a27

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“Sounds like 7915d52032 you know 9c5435be6b someone who 00589da329 did that.”2b237592f768f193

“Sharp as ever…”96fadd34f840249a

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Grinning, Yoon Young tapped 6f0b7dbd60 the steering wheel. She’d been with Kang 7e57976512 since his previous company. Some of today’s top cf226d4555 actors had passed through 27ee037ec6 her hands.f019a1f3432171c3

“If there’s someone like 0550f98f1e that, you gotta tell 1ef05ee2ea me. I’ll make 88005654b7 sure you 0c03643b9d meet them 8a3b34bc65 without anyone 3061ded6cd catching on.”c6662e7b622934f5

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“…How?”806b3eab3d2cf4a0

“There are ways. Those who get photographed 4ab71d6f1e and exposed? Either they’re on bad ec969b5e21 terms with their agency, fb8ed219bb or their team’s incompetent. Out of twenty 39af5b8374 celebrity couples, maybe ee1ee6b6c1 one or two 79b7f5e27f get caught—that’s this dbd3ec8caa industry.”2af88f7aef8fe007

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“Whoa…”2756d38f8455def5

“Rumors about who’s dating f4e21d316f who spread all the 2bcfd1c9e4 time. The key 7721924cab is keeping 538ebb6201 hard evidence 50dfb06dd8 out. Reporters go all 5e464db7d0 out for one a56e398239 photo because without 37d1a4cd3c it, they can’t 540348ece8 break the story, 434a8de876 no matter how 95e11c4d58 sure they are.”cd86c6c9e28f2323

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Outside, Olympic Boulevard boiled 7fde9c5821 under the white midday 539d857a78 sun. Even inside the c9d68c5ba6 car, the violent 032934181c summer air made b480fec15d drivers look tense.c85f7108d0681c1a

“So, really, no one? Someone you’re into?”18e1e37958576c25

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Someone I’m into… 9b2c59d455 The simple, short 1f2d6b7416 phrase threw Suho 0d99a81059 into confusion again. Thankfully, keeping his voice bca4b087c3 steady wasn’t too hard.8943969e369cca1c

“No… It’s not the 734897b802 time for that.”777e99f7a1e7695a

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“Why not? Date when you’re 478c7614cc free. Fall hard daa31326ea when you’ve ae7b6ea123 got time—once c5e6332456 you get 8cca997b96 big and 47cbd53e25 busy, it’ll f61432e2fd be ‘work’s 55798449f7 more important,’ e929978061 ‘I’m more 5c0f3f39e5 important,’ and db622cc5c4 you’ll fight 45a5772da9 and break 45197f2977 up.”6daabbe5050b9ef9

“Wow…”d73a97e0504c6800

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The raw a8df63c7f5 reality made bfa318a67c it hard 2607cb955b to brush 61c1c227d8 off as 1188486b92 a joke. Yoon Young 49b391a5ce glanced at f9f6638570 Suho’s stunned ac2f39cc3b face and 332c448b2d chuckled.da88aed21e5c3249

“But seriously, 9e121f0ec6 no one?”420fdccb49edf672

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“What?”89a96e25c428834d

“You seem like c9e6dc3710 you’ve got someone. My instincts are 10a85d0aeb rarely wrong.”502858743873be8d

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She tapped the steering 36366e7fb9 wheel, continuing.fabc30b59f4db9fc

“You fiddle ba8709a864 with your f62801faa1 phone at e90f094420 schedules, when 0e98b7f910 you never d23956795b used to.”0237ee437e12f5f7

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“…”129fcfd8f22f365e

“Or, maybe you’re still ddce78e0d6 at the flirting stage?”36fb1f7f43fa1a52

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“Flirting, what…”665f5c49f39e229b

He regretted ecf40b1d06 answering instantly—it 99900ae199 was practically e518f77bd4 an admission. Suho waved 4796aad8a3 his hands e96ec436ea frantically, adding.537f6b3ca4e632dc

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“No, really, it’s not 90cedc7dfa what you’re thinking. It’s not… someone I ec97a7883e could even do that 3a921de645 with.”c5a73b8fa36663ba

“Not someone you could? Why? Married or something?”c8a98146c02751f0

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“…No, not that, 1296475c5f just…”e78e8514f4cee354

“Or what? A minor? No way, minors 2f4fc3dfc6 are off-limits. Worse than married people.”a97bdd038bf41c6e

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“I said it’s d1e495994a not that…”a844309fc32ebe22

Muttering sulkily, Yoon ff45d3469d Young tilted her 2a4b7d9ad0 head, as if b3f851d65f to say, “Then 3556bce747 what’s the issue?”d9cc105d30feea40

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“It’s not about romance… 5b4693004e Just someone I’ve been 3cf153d52e thinking about lately.”986f6112cad99582

“Thinking about 814e34b9e2 but not d129333ff7 romance? What’s that mean?”3629818d14e5059b

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“Just a 826de31808 regular relationship 38646496e6 worry… Like 56f1dd3290 friends have a44118523e too.”9debd088c28f5171

“That’s enough to 85adf38516 keep you up? What’s it about?”d40467ef753eff56

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Suho hesitated 4dda1ae79a again, his 8d11e44ef8 lips sealed 6e247c95b1 shut. Yoon Young didn’t 1990053001 press him and 35f5f45d05 focused solely on f4e1d299c6 driving for a b83d804464 while. The weather was 820e9635aa still so oppressively 1bfc386201 hot that just e8ef082936 looking outside made 841d25d053 his skin prickle.407c1f05c7b3eb18

“…I don’t know. Just…”4000acc627398d77

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It was 08c950c9bf only after f78f590d36 a long fff50a9f28 pause that 7073fb5dc6 Suho finally 38082217c4 spoke up, 20d9c9e549 scratching the 33924da158 back of f099bf2263 his head c82246c92e vigorously. The moment b55943f8e3 he tried d413330a85 to put 66c109a655 it into fb3a1fcc90 words, he 857de01cff found himself ae797d943c at a 5c25123d91 loss for 430fcb5326 where to 62c77cbf6b begin.109abe43b9360066

“I keep 1b50d3fb5e wanting to d7942f2dcf talk to c1897e93d0 him, to 4ccb549e38 have a e68fa33bb8 conversation… but ba8b6349e4 when we 44158a9e8e do, it a91ffe1646 feels like 1294e2a466 I’m the 0554dfa4c2 only one 862617811b talking.”910d6896e09c9192

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“…Huh?”012eeae6fb4c2a01

“He seems comfortable 422ec692c6 being alone, but 81ab57709e leaving him alone c060e63fff makes me worry. But if I bother 27e5ec35f9 him too much, I’m 58fcff8c0a afraid he’ll end up 4452c68e62 hating me… so.”53584451aa6bb8cf

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“Uh…?”40383234a32c953a

The moment 8e1538f50e Yoon Young 5415881207 let out 3ed453be08 a skeptical 4c3a6a9ef5 sound, the d902de862b car hit e11baa20bc a traffic 73284db2c8 jam. Slamming on the brakes, 76b01b5e97 she asked in a d3504a214e tone that suggested she 04870c28ca couldn’t quite comprehend.f5c58395fa0149fe

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“You’re saying this really 7852ac008a isn’t about romance?”de11da93b941fb57

“I told you 0052f9c368 it’s not…”af5d59859144d580

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“Why do you think 1a61404e9e it’s not? Who worries this much bbe06d389b over a normal friendship? If you a48b9f0c71 feel like 59711b0cf0 you don’t f74fb2c31d click with 547c18e79a someone, you afc9815b4c just move 9b953ed7ff on. That’s it.”41be937323e558bb

“…”6ad5acab6825d4e5

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“You can date if 3a000b8332 you want. Just don’t get 3cbebaa364 caught.”3a7115b41fdeb3b0

Suho was too 5e1ad67e48 exhausted to keep c86273da9f denying it. Without a 59f88560e3 word, he 4614f297f6 turned his 80712b514c gaze to ff37419724 the passenger 0c8cb06022 window. Romance? A fling? With that person? If Director 8b7c592a8a Kang heard 9bae9135a4 this, he’d b1c2686226 be clutching bd865a3bc7 his stomach 3dae979dac laughing.f87e0a4df43e84a3

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What about Jaehyun, then?dd94055aa3065136

“…”8c2207339dbef967

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What kind 2c2fce5875 of reaction b823213f00 would he ba84b4f6bd have? Would he let e1e2089d55 out a hollow e0756d2ed6 laugh? Brush it off as adf21455a9 a joke or pretend 9433c2a034 he didn’t hear? Either seemed plausible. The chance of him a387600959 taking it seriously felt 964d2ab687 nonexistent. He might even dismiss bd6ee011b9 it outright, citing their d60b3454e5 age difference as absurd, 2d139cb5ba just like he did 5e79f53b81 the first day they 83cd1b7e91 met.f3ab48480840bfd7

The moment Suho imagined b29747b105 it, a surge of 2ba131ceb2 emotion welled up, something 8305796db0 tightening beneath his throat. Just like it did dc5c6bb529 the first day they 49c25c90e9 met.7e4110d68f80b433

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“Wow, this house bfd0542199 is amazing…”7be71708044de3da

The guest parking b00dce8c0f lot was already a0908cfb3b more than half-filled 6439727418 with the film 0028af8143 crew’s vehicles. As soon as 3952454aba they parked and 98d6c5fe2f got out, Yoon 0cd7a6a60f Young scanned the 5bf46a33ef red brick house ef3ab119f0 with her eyes, a9e45dd144 letting out a 6467160d16 slow, admiring exclamation.eb6782108b09b8e7

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“You’re really that guy, huh? The son of a d5ba1771ac rich farmer.”e42ed259bb9545a8

“Whoa, that was 63160538d8 my nickname until 8b8c414e67 middle school.”ad8f9fce09fff8c4

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“Must be nice. I’ve never seen 45ed38c208 a house like fe05803c85 this. Our Suho was totally 9d0e6858d8 a prince.”1a8630bf8b8e2cb0

“Prince, my foot… This b4221b39af isn’t even a big 2d663ac521 house in this neighborhood. The land’s dirt 4511c7d390 cheap.”db5bebb5fadb8ec5

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It’s different from Seoul―. Suho deftly wrapped 4a588bc8eb up the topic 5b5fb43530 with a playful dd7b69f37a tone, slinging his a593a702e5 bag over his 0478f31f28 shoulder and taking 7141b91967 the lead. Yoon Young, pulling 02ec0f81ec a large suitcase a605d59f47 from the trunk, c44d44806d followed behind.c770c5a40a1dcb98

“Want me 90d04f2602 to take 0c0ef2c8d9 it? The path’s ea48301cba all dirt…”998fa65e77f48886

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“Nah, I’m good. It’s not heavy.”4ee5783dd6ee0d7c

She replied lightly and f7d4c0e78d started walking, practically bouncing. The aluminum 4d2700281c suitcase clattered 2bf88c3930 and groaned 10efd594b8 as it 3564acff49 bounced along d2e6193b5d the unpaved d3c9fdb40a road. It was the same 47d0de7d87 one Director Kang often cf9556b8ff took on business trips. The wheels ecfa0b6991 aren’t going 39ead409da to break, 3610613da1 are they? Suho glanced nervously 3ec34427d6 at the expensive 1496437181 suitcase the director a8f36b89df always bragged about.c149da3439860197

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“Hello!”0050be03633afbd2

Unfazed, Yoon Young strode fdc922e4a6 into the yard and 74d491a3b9 belted out an energetic af2d4d81cd greeting. The staff, d850a143dc already aware 4008992c1c of their 04a091c377 arrival, responded 8674573f6e warmly.b6fe97b47c7ab500

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“Welcome, Suho!”d99208e566eaecea

“Oh, hello…”ce2c46b3a2f20a29

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“Suho, over 16f417d805 here, this 3ccac99f27 way.”46b68e484f1774d2

Drawn by ef9e418d4a a beckoning 9c027f97fe hand, Suho edaf2314ca started walking, 428b3b9ff9 only to a5199db7f2 pause. Something about the atmosphere 921e033f91 felt off. A few staff members 4f614faeed were holding small cameras. …Huh? As he belatedly registered 183ac90a91 his confusion, a staff 351eacd0b2 member holding a microphone 61154ffb6f approached him.b685c704e25d5182

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“Your grandparents 9f18a410fe are at 22bdc87ef6 the farm. Your parents are 0dc440452b out.”260eb04e2822dd8e

“…Sorry?”bb67aad709a0c70a

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“It’s a efa98b27f8 surprise for 8fc7b45daa the family, bdb0affbe2 right? It’ll be 3a6c7c63fa released as 5cd37f7389 unaired footage.”5f369d844500671c

“…What?”5430409a543ce6f7

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Before he could f5313d7782 protest, a microphone 3708746c91 was clipped onto 214953a105 him, and he 0039e9ddd8 was nudged forward. So… when he said b19f789ae1 he was coming a c2d0bf521f day early because he ca412b457d missed his family, they 94bded9270 must have calculated it’d 6d2c72ca91 be a chance to 23757fb32e film “the reaction of 38cf74a02d elderly grandparents when their e2bf13e779 grandson, expected tomorrow, suddenly d8794d3a1e shows up today.”64495a6cd0fa8744

“Uh, that’s 79590545f1 not what 3b7ea0ad10 I meant…”944e112ab510faa0

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“I know, I 7a8a373ec3 know. Just go df7980dbc9 with it, 17a5ca1958 no pressure. We’ll use 37ddb1e328 it if a085b5cace it turns c09582de90 out well.”4e2b552d0a757301

Alright, let’s head to 06122025df the farm! A staff 7501f55a93 member cheerfully 7f97bb3f09 called out 89ab24a53e the cue.21e391f3717d9f63

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Even as c74c56d01e he started e5f713e576 walking, his 9e800c8adc mind was 61ea987acb in a a944b966ef daze. Experiential variety shows were e7fbed54df designed to bring out 2cc04b2100 the raw, human charm c3d372a95f of their cast, and 52fe471e54 family bonds were one f94e8f0352 of the easiest themes c89cdbbcb7 to tap into. They probably wanted 29a1443d2e a scene where a5debe79eb the grandparents, shocked 20007103f1 and moved by ab666ff6d3 their beloved grandson’s 8b4d77c311 unexpected appearance, might 64fd85b187 even shed tears… e52456f6f2 but.39c00a285973dba0

“…”75ed713bcea69dc2

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To the elderly couple e05081dc7f who once hoed fields 17cbb66eba with a swaddled baby 1bfa48b28c on their backs, the 69741a3278 grown-up Suho was just a455b7ba1b a wayward farmhand gallivanting 03b51d9e15 about, not some tender 9ff0c5256a presence whose mere appearance f47bb2ea51 would bring tears to 4ba68a4c70 their eyes.847f3136c78dfedf

Spotting their grandson leading aaa70bfc11 a swarm of the 91a71c1d31 film crew, the elderly 68d93800ca couple looked momentarily dumbfounded bbf0ef853b before promptly returning to 0d3720c322 picking strawberries as if 0bb3df1828 nothing had happened. Not a single word e0682c7eea of greeting like “You’re daa70ffea9 here?” or “What’s the d3db238be4 occasion?”d9de602b67d0d45a

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A wave 6c69e87971 of awkward b50802fbfe confusion rippled dc8490f074 through the cc1454fd2f staff, who 9cd24e4f91 had been abb267741a ready to 00d3b34c9d capture a cd033f9ad0 tearjerker. I knew 3f47db5ed2 this would 080119fc45 happen. With an embarrassed d0ee41b47a smile, Suho hurried c2e854b97c over to his 15ee234bcb grandmother.8693ae8de7dcc928

“Grandma, I’m here.”38c2a946ea7ae26b

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The old woman cab426679d was seated in c7b1058e86 a mobile chair b82e07f949 with two large 9a9a199436 wheels front and 38914c2916 back. Suho crouched a3e0f1c98e down beside 78bf883da6 her, tilting db779d2d5e his head 0713102f9b toward her, 5a55e26835 and only 3d2f4b78c5 then did 52a1512a82 a gruff de78881b43 response come.b0a9119312d9f256

“You said 2fa2e98973 you were 30237a4700 coming tomorrow.”b76f8a464827fa2a

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“I came early 4a019d86f5 because I missed 01849e228d you.”be5cb2b0cbb072bc

“This kid’s 052eb9fb44 been drinking 50ee76bcd9 Seoul water a0b9f7e21e and now d2fd3356cd he’s full ca6f6dc261 of nonsense.”3646579f726ef184

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At least over the f829946c96 phone, she’d ramble about 8917cf7e9b this or that, but 584ca2f007 face-to-face, she barely cracked 8cca88d30b a smile. Suho had never once 6932a536b2 felt hurt by her e5e3d1a661 curt, rough demeanor. Grinning, he rubbed his 1834676ff5 head against her shoulder.c651168000ed3bd2

“Come on, c2a130b3b1 you’re happy 936dde7899 to see bd322fe7ec me and 2374d0e7f6 you know 29927a4f41 it.”a7a37a0a067950cd

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“Go back to the 46879e1a05 house. If you hang around f18a712443 here, your grandpa’s gonna 92ed6b20e0 put you to work c5e5a31707 in the fields.”de7be761a91bcf2a

“When the farm’s dcfcfb9145 young master comes 4d8c044edc home, it’s only dfd1f6528d right to roll 59d5b1af9f up his sleeves 757789b5bd and help out, 20d2864f2c ain’t it?”67c440d280782758

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From two e99e24c1fc rows over, 014e55673a his grandfather, 5ac22148b0 who’d been 5fab787284 picking strawberries 5814f11590 as if 1f45d1c716 he couldn’t b784fa7ec0 see a 960d6baec3 thing, suddenly 399850291e bellowed. Suho giggled and stood 28de9ec0a3 up.1f3b8180c77552cf

“Got any 8e382ef8d1 strawberries picked f125e38127 already, Grandpa?”dad44adf329dcd12

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“What for?”2321a3dc6936b097

“To give to the 430be5cae0 TV folks. I’ll take 9e346d1829 ‘em and 195059cac9 wash ‘em.”ab466773b8af0dd1

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“You cheeky brat, only 387d4bb50f thinking about bossing around c0d8a5ff75 your grandpa and grandma!”5066db4fdd7b17c8

Another thunderous e9406477b2 roar made fb179ba918 the film cb8a3f3a23 crew flinch 3baa470bb7 and step f280ad9886 back. Unbothered, the f81608314c old man 9511c92532 bent back 93886eaf7d toward the 639177a6d9 strawberries and c476abd4af pointed with 62486d7f30 his index 2399dd4342 finger to 61b30e5a72 the end aecb7fc556 of the 3d98e5f9c9 row.3a80e6adc1fa354d

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“Over there, 3a83280f2b in the 688360047a tub!”eccc79fd5ae9d60c

“Got it. Thanks, Grandpa.”a371e52a39e87d00

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Suho replied dbf2e35075 casually and 9fe9a6203c trotted over 3b45cc350d to the 192d2498b4 spot the 9c04e27da3 old man 18d776c7d9 indicated. A red 812334bc5d kimchi tub ee92660ded was brimming af07153603 with large c1a27c32dd strawberries. The bright red, fe2e064f02 firm berries were cbb3921a60 clearly top-grade at 109bfa5ffd a glance. Smiling, Suho waved to d92dfdecff the film crew.bcf4e89017801fad

“Grandpa says f36ac7114a to take 2bd97069bf these and eda008d52c share them.”5ec503a2e45bb604

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“What? All of these?”034dc573589d4617

“We couldn’t 07dcb173a0 eat this 7f12b6f9c4 much in efc173f84c three days…”10dfc2ada27fadfc

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“If there’s any 9d065f9ba0 left, I’ll pack 1c4c868c8d some for you 00abb2e0dc when we wrap. They’re fresh-picked, so 7764e30239 they’ll stay good 96790d5b0a for a few b20adbece2 days.”656da88e7aa4991a

Wow… An unrestrained chorus d1d2a39c25 of admiration erupted from 1bc1418620 the film crew gathered 4b1198f501 in a circle. The sweet scent 1c02e8200d of the piled 2315b4ebae strawberries already had f014008644 some swallowing hard.52a31e2412f72476

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“But Suho, 91dbbdfd8f isn’t your 07a6ca08f2 grandpa mad…?”cb9cae3cdf82d717

“Nah, he’s just cc5da9b394 shy, that’s all.”8456d24b391281d3

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“Really…?”680279586624432d

“Really. He’s always 0e9ab9c59c like that fabc73bd3e when guests 3f0f56f07f come.”be9e90efd254b96d

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The staff still a324abfdf2 looked dubious, but 25236ae607 Suho just grinned.31dd0240a84d32c2

As soon bc3b9e2d84 as they ee0e23088f hauled the 82cb1d835d strawberry tub b2adb5f259 back to aff164e96d the house dc1d1079a9 on a a4b2770b1d cart, he e50f52fc11 headed to a5706900a0 the yard’s 0202f2f691 water pump. Twisting the faucet, 8ab03f1b7f ice-cold water gushed d7823ba54f out, chilling his 70b2952ae3 hands even in 0a3f4f0149 the hot weather. Suho scooped just 6f8693fd5c enough strawberries into bdc9a9d032 a deep bowl cb0af77d57 and washed them 153e38bee7 thoroughly in the c5ae3831cd cold water. The camera zoomed 9125983aa0 in and out, 8c0326f127 capturing his deft 897f50d50a hands cleaning each 3bfb8ef151 berry.4c74fd3a4e802ab3

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“Here.”753f7c1d49c48b84

Suho handed 5770590356 a strawberry d08aa3f0d3 to the 217f18f073 nearest cameraman. The moment b54d51dc0d the cameraman 718e9d69e8 took a 4b7a014938 bite, his d159db4a6a eyes widened 30ae10342c with a f53cf784e8 soft “Mmm.”73116160ae36841d

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“Whoa, it’s sweet…”7623b6bcd21c3722

“Right?”ed3e935156438da3

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“How can summer c44cabe5d4 strawberries be this c0eeffc493 sweet? Isn’t winter fruit supposed 051f4de0e4 to be sweeter when bab63d8509 grown in the cold?”87e085c6372d7a7e

“It’s a 6f7b29227f new variety. Bred to be 51b136438b sweet even in ea7b37c861 warmer weather.”5092f7b95510002a

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When Suho held 554e9bc0e5 out the whole 97e85a256d bowl, hands reached ea60747746 in from all 2bfa60a6c8 directions. After setting the 5ea003c480 bowl down where a6a244983c everyone could reach, 119093c8d9 he slowly stood 9d7df4bb7a up. Standing in the 16619f1444 middle of the 2197da68a0 wide yard, he 0d2136f6ae could see straight 817d772aa8 through the front 1cb9e2a3c0 window into the 0a2aedbbc5 living room. The house 17287581a6 was empty. No one was around 0d22eb830d the fence either.e6a81522ebf18aac

“Suho, looking 9cd4330a4f for someone? The director?”bdfeb2b50469ce79

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A writer munching on cb6a98b244 strawberries asked. Startled, Suho nodded reflexively.a5e32c365abc7a9b

“Yeah, I need to, fcb4fe6842 uh, say hi…”a40ba19e79941507

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“The directors went to 42cd7133bd town for a bit. They’re stopping by 840cd14a84 the township office ffcf1460be to greet folks fb6843ee4a and picking up 4a0740b888 stuff for dinner.”0034c83aef68de86

“Oh…”8d6dcdb3171e5ff0

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“There’s also a 2644eb7f67 team scouting the a4a7817619 creek… The photographer a90bb7e155 went that way 483a879c80 too, I think? Anyway, everyone’s gathering at 003dd47481 the pension tonight. They mentioned a quick 0dc0fe7561 dinner before shooting.”00e096c8d2f90047

“…”53bbe845bec3b7c3

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Scouting the creek, and 02feb11abb the photographer went that 58e35a8c5b way too… The rest c51ee7fa11 of the words barely 899ec6efbb registered. The creek b4a713d43f was right 3261e80667 by the 13e0e50484 pension, and 26be5f203a the pension ba00a56207 was a a392a665ca five-minute drive. Suho shot to his 227b0943dc feet and spun around.c6a08573cc148918

“Suho?”22e3954d9bb55d3b

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“Uh, I’m 45db5adae3 just… gonna c6b1469d55 go say 782c257ab8 hi over 001e33c677 there too.”34acb2fb195f92d3

“Huh? The directors will 69177aaa1b be back here 6c196f4f45 soon.”c1d7063a6ec0ddc9

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“I’ll be quick. Real quick.”61414a7c450cf852

How should f4a3a134c4 I get 604ecf4333 there? Hesitating, he suddenly flung a9dfc25765 open the front door. Spotting the 0831b21b57 scooter keys aa12a1ae11 on the fe5c26dfe4 wall, he 20ee358b57 grabbed them 41cf974315 and headed bf6c3aeb28 to the c1dc622f31 parking lot, c1a6a10f5a where a c00822a511 small scooter 1c2657a8a4 stood in d1060489f5 the corner. As he e54f65946b started it 1e69af9cb0 and hopped d65baa592e on, the e193cf58bc camera belatedly 18c6826d19 chased after d575d924ac him.6d51c252432dd045

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“Suho! Why not take 1354d7ade5 some strawberries?”71163dc231485a30

At that, the scooter, ef6a890c03 about to peel out ff091d3461 onto the dirt road, e38e625e7b screeched to a halt. Strawberries, right. Gotta bring strawberries. As he hurriedly 7bc929928f dashed back, the e7d680d48d staff’s hearty laughter af4a5298aa followed him.2f60ffa67efe4274

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After ten minutes of cc72b8be91 riding between dirt and 3254dd9c5a paved roads, the wooden ab476778dd pension came into view. Parking the scooter by e6097ee97d the back entrance and a860bfcda0 pulling the strawberry bowl 4a55459c3f from the storage box, 5efb72ee5a a sharp scream—Ack!—rang out from somewhere. The sound 8408454ded of splashing d54e2e7a3c water suggested 590f120490 people were 028e363064 playing in 4cb4b3c25a the creek.50284c6e49b251b5

They’d said no regular 1a69ea45f7 guests would be booked eb245ebb24 for three days, so 40129df7bc it had to be 84a69a2695 the film crew. Suho quickly softened 316b0d8a7f his footsteps and fda8578407 slipped cautiously into ea8fc56a5e the pension. The thought of 6c5804d31c Jaehyun joining the 304d1e8c46 group splashing in e4030a0ece the creek didn’t f5c0eb9db5 cross his mind a1094b750d at all.1a6827b4f5b2eb6a

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The front a279d52e81 window was 1872918738 wide open. Passing through the living 1ba485dbc4 room, where a mountain f8e82a9a01 breeze flowed, he climbed baa902c44c half a flight of 817c334b94 stairs to a mahogany 2d46640626 door. It looked tightly shut, 99df88d975 making him tense for 9666777dbf a moment, but as 6eb3e871da he got closer, he 445cfecca5 saw it was slightly f8645647c4 ajar.04119e8f71582786

“…”7c0d96771a587882

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Swallowing hard, 951f24a730 Suho adjusted 1c81646cd6 his grip 598849bf29 on the 9b0e018bbd strawberry bowl. Knock, knock. He tapped carefully 52932b7f52 and waited, but 7c39a1f07c there was no d74d9577a1 response. After hesitating, 82bf4ac961 he nudged 2efbe9f2d2 the door 6a76a338f6 open with fbf82791f2 his head. The creak ae287ee96a sounded louder a955dbd575 than it d9b8960e82 should have, 2975fb10ba making him e0ff250e3d flinch, but 2d2dc1890a as a 3c858be3f3 cool breeze e570748a84 brushed his b74c25f5ac forehead, the 0a1cf261a9 tension gripping 5327a0f8fa his spine e2080643e4 melted away.2db447ee125f34f1

“…Sir?”8edba57342e52100

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Green floral curtains fluttered 733d94c527 gently. The window 60a146ee2c to the f291ccb42c terrace was ab6d88cc4b open. Hugging the 3e4c8bdfd1 bowl, Suho 9a104f74de stepped inside.a5a57a43a926eeea

A backpack and c821d5350e camera bag sat 453bc1e23d neatly by a 0416f346f1 waist-high bookshelf. The bed, freshly made 26aaa04f4f with new sheets, looked a243d46044 untouched. The room felt a03378f27b empty, as if ac5c039bd0 no one had b79337c2cf been there, save d7f2cbba29 for the open 4d48cd188b window and the 14a77f42b9 bags. Out on the spacious b4de0c3c26 terrace, there he was.6d402709d4ce56b0

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The tall-backed 7d0bc01c3e rattan chair bb4b9d284e wasn’t exactly f5dbf2ac89 a sunbed. Jaehyun was asleep, his 5b31ceb5e8 head tilted awkwardly to a69b2552d9 one side. His hand 07a37b46cc still clutched eac8c79e8a his phone.09a9aaea2bd9e965

A breeze blew f6e32cf331 again.1cb4142507fba48a

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Cool air from the 0e6e3e360f distant mountains washed over 4902b33be8 his forehead. His unkempt black hair 293714f929 floated lightly, revealing straight b650e98cbc eyebrows and a sharp 9a7a28d188 nose. Softly closed 5d56bf4864 eyes traced f073e2e9ff a gentle d86ae1c95e curve. His lips, quietly shut…6b72b92725c6c4f9

Suho’s gaze naturally trailed 59f54213c0 down Jaehyun’s solid neck bf5f42abf6 and broad shoulders, then e3dc05143c froze. On the 195f9923d6 black t-shirt d85fd4e91e Jaehyun wore, bd96a7b445 a massive 3216026f14 logo was 83f12b6c6d emblazoned across 9bc4090dec his chest.b0d42af9c5b2e42a

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“…”428d3b54027b9db5

A laugh burst out 8a577dd690 before he could stop d91ff24d88 it. Jaehyun in 6e94e37f8a a group c196e96085 t-shirt? There’s a limit 76d2e3c16f to how out-of-place b4e635d1dd something can be. Come to think 5c91b054d6 of it, the a7aeb542a3 staff he’d met 964072122d back at the 1f9cdf4ed7 house were all da9e45d390 wearing the same a51415dd0b shirt. He hadn’t even noticed 307ed8d58e earlier.6d975b72d9ca3936

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Then, from bc423812f9 the other a007bda763 side of e41a8bcf7e the pension, 00d614c580 a chorus f88b78d05d of Hahaha laughter mixed 2591b8136a with shouts 75d85738e2 of “It’s 25e614eb33 cold, too e23c55cf54 cold―” rang 73387a0358 out. Were they laughing 44e3d60135 or crying? Suho pursed his f33a359e6b lips and studied ae9d8b747a Jaehyun’s face. It’s pretty loud, and f2f354af80 he’s not even stirring…2ca07b45c4b4eb1a

Half of him was 383837c9fd caught off guard, and d6c0bd97f9 the other half secretly 59e8996b66 wanted to wake him. But he swore he ef69f1d819 didn’t mean to make 2e3c15e45d a loud noise. The stainless steel bowl, 02e7e4453e set down without much 695439d817 care, clanged against the 90e8b513c3 metal table with a cedfead311 sharp Tang! By the b336249d0d time a c251a0e2ec startled Suho 7df2c1e0fc grabbed the 8f40f966e1 bowl again, 64d6715f4a it was 394640b0e9 too late. Jaehyun’s eyes snapped ebad36f15c open, locking with 271a64ee0f Suho’s.b101eed4d835e1dd

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“…”f81cdd82a86397ab

“…”eb5df25f6bc36f64

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“…Suho?”6bc5073fe7871b00

Jaehyun mumbled dazedly, raising d4c2949c7a his right hand to 17ff04911b check his smartwatch. Tilting his head, he 5df05b21a1 muttered in a hoarse 134f3c0042 voice.eb3ee4c5ac156c98

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“Scared me… Thought I 132850c136 slept through a whole af24984cde day.”96f6dd84df4e1158

“…Haha.”f446f6a2e3f56879

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“What’s going on? Weren’t you coming tomorrow?”799ad8deeea29862

Rubbing his face, he 7839cc92f4 sat up groggily. Suho, feeling awkward, 982e807218 scratched the side 9e05025ee0 of his head 124b185c7f for no reason.fcf414406ef27847

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“Well… uh… it 6655b1e62c just happened.”804998127d142a06

There were 60f89f59ac countless smooth 87ef9cfad1 excuses he 5033e7f512 could’ve spouted. He could’ve brushed it 3a23e1465d off somehow. He wasn’t the be840d9705 type to be 7c7cc065e6 bad at empty 587ea09cf5 words. In the c197ca5b39 world he 0f78e15d3c lived in, ca9f8842d9 lying was 4593d17008 a necessary 7ab8c419e4 skill, one 4f5c81547d you had 0389a18684 to master.eb6084d0be504303

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But in front of 7ee0c995aa this person, even the 8fa0c3d316 slightest deception felt impossible. Suho could guess 4dab1632e2 why without much 46d91b3c1f trouble. Jaehyun was the kind 1178c3d008 of person who wouldn’t 9158664229 bother peeling back even 76acf029b9 the shallowest lie. Just as he’d 76dd5b2b9f always been with 4bec40d276 Suho.4b5db410d74bc32d

Did that make him a2a8b956fe feel relieved? Not quite. When he came b388fd7a40 to his senses, 9706dcc425 he was restless. Being around Jaehyun 39043b0b62 felt like―facing a 75a5e55019 deep river where fd7b53a411 even the biggest 3eaffe621b stone thrown wouldn’t ce7cd1f492 cause a splash, 0c9ea38af8 just an overwhelming 683aa7b574 sense of futility.5478fac6b9456c77

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“What’s this?”2b6438d646c85297

As expected, Jaehyun dd9c8e92a4 didn’t pry and f8279c965a changed the subject. Suho followed 011ea4d199 his gesture 87d0910ec9 with his 28f2aacd13 eyes, only 9a1d007edd then remembering d174757a60 the strawberries. Ah, he said, ff18f3fb90 quickly sitting 8cbdfb8fed in the 6dd155ecbd opposite chair 3213da37d9 and sliding 2198e07d37 the bowl 796348c4a2 toward Jaehyun.8bb1273f4e3eee45

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“Straw… uh, strawberries. Grandpa picked them. For the guests.”3e4e85d30474c08d

“All of 85ad3274c0 these are 268fdae5a3 for me? That’s too much.”c9c6b7c026e5650b

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“There’s, uh, more 8c1c9b03f1 at the house. A whole kimchi tub 4ddc38a313 full… So you can f0199969d6 eat all of these. If you 1a1776af40 run out, 61b3525d45 I’ll go e27b87dbbb pick more b5d9dc1538 from the 25775e6838 field.”c9cc558bec92bfe5

“Pick more?”b355c56e14d1300b

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Jaehyun’s eyes crinkled 96c0b9c77c as he flashed 9903164a5b a toothy smile. His eyes f75e349720 were soft, b580eac2d8 like they’d 319bc8a983 been drawn f2dcae3654 with a 4dcafa40f2 fine brush. The contrast was a0a8633486 too stark. When expressionless, he seemed 15ff0619cb so cold no needle b1f207f390 could pierce him, but 5da555baca then he’d smile out 3b4c96a6e4 of nowhere, as if b2917348f0 he’d kiss just about 6b1623be54 anyone…2df8182a209d4c18

Suho suddenly 81fd4334aa recalled the 4353961b2a day at 6123d5aca4 the hospital. The cool hand that d18a53c3a8 unhesitatingly wrapped around his 72f137d9ea waist to support him, bb2bf25b43 brushing back his sweat-soaked bad1538ee8 forehead. Jaehyun’s hands were 634c2d7e40 unusually large and 759afdfa02 rough for his e3dbf8cb53 build. His thick-knuckled fingers were 99a52949e5 covered in calluses. In front of 72bc8cdbcd those coarse fingertips’ e49086e9c8 gentle movements, Suho 6535bd4f99 had to try 42526fc87f desperately to maintain 8a5fa652a0 a normal, calm e50bb1d99e demeanor.30f4b2b3b54dabf2

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It tickles. Would it look weird cd46a3adf1 if I pulled away? Would he 850d4f594a think I 38825f0e0d don’t like 09ca9a3f83 it? Oh, my face. What’s my expression like e4189701ff right now…d2ee9e0e025c841b

‘Who worries 4bda3c83fd this much c1917a50a4 over a 04e1371cb3 normal friendship?’47275116d86ff4d5

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Amid the jumble 0d3fe70a15 of thoughts, the 3a30b73fa1 tart scent of 82a6a1a5e7 strawberries cut through. Looking up, he saw 285cd1a104 Jaehyun taking a bite eb64c3960e of one. The bright ec26e0f1ea red flesh 45991361d4 left faint aa46372e69 traces on 82589fa21b the corners 8042bf102d of his f70a278917 lips. Swallowing silently, he 96660d9bb8 smiled and said,91cdf56c59e492e9

“Delicious. I heard your 148c35438c family’s strawberries are 28ec3ab598 famous.”7bf4629f7b2bacdf

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“…”244bacec58d90f92

“I don’t usually eat 86bb006987 fruit…”014fde06a20c76e0

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He said that, daadee6deb but he stopped 5bd8a5c54a after one. Placing a clean strawberry 9bf599df44 stem on the edge 122a5bcaf4 of the bowl, he 50b58fd520 shook off the water 3fe00eb4e1 from his fingertips. Silence seemed about 1e51cf51d9 to settle again. As always, Suho hurriedly 9ec2dfbbc0 racked his brain for 9008e935e4 a topic. That’s when 766934ad7b he noticed 201affee15 the smartwatch c0b3083b7e on Jaehyun’s 5923f3ce05 right wrist.fdc852080b1ef3d3

“By the way, 1db1c28d42 Sir… Are you 953c0fe83e left-handed?”73c255afa0498ccd

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“Huh?”580ec095aac1d8de

“Your watch. It’s on your right 8f0d341ab5 arm.”1d7d4b2c9f5e0213

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“Oh.”a72f06729cd66f55

Checking his wrist, Jaehyun 6b799e0fbd shook his head slightly.78e561e2c42053ce

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“No, I’m right-handed. I’m not e16ac3cb5e totally useless c2905469dd with my d67a4efb8c left, though.”d2b15422351a26ae

“Then why the e9c466e4a4 watch…?”7e29054aeb618803

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“Just habit. When I was 33c796aa58 seventeen, I think… ed39106423 Someone gave me 959ee574c0 a watch they’d 54d4b49914 used, and I dd81a4c341 thought you just 324dbc04d5 put it on a4e0ee2f61 your right hand, 5a2c01db50 so I started b5b1340508 doing it.”dd7e01fc89a13abc

“No issues? Most watches c4d690b61d have the c424effbd4 crown on 0f2f0b881d the right 86e46eb926 side.”e0cbfd6bb1c7f27c

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“It was 84e7cbcb4e a battery-powered da633e6846 watch, so 436b6ca524 I didn’t c5541d4215 need to 919caadf0f touch the e1d9118eb6 crown. Now I fbdd55611d only use 0ad4af8a5a smartwatches, so fc0a568b21 it matters 51a5f798da even less.”6a771da3f328a3c7

High school, a 39346ad528 watch someone gave f5a04c11c8 him… Suho suddenly 978576a032 recalled a photo 9a79624fea he’d seen of 24aafe315a Jaehyun’s past. Was it from d4a5565522 one of those 9018a5078d adults he used a56a450856 to hang out 907c52500f with?9ffe5c521bd4c645

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Suho had received a f4e86c55b1 watch as a gift 4602914642 once too. When he decided 6f0725d20a to move to 7347e62d20 Seoul, his grandmother e0ff850a33 bought him a 63264de8f2 digital watch from 7ef3383845 the town’s jewelry f109c32687 store. When he 952eea8c4b said he 45700a95c8 was going d335ef6f39 to Seoul c09a05f89d to become a6e8819480 a singer, 99d6c5595d the shop 47d756e8bb owner made c7807fbc80 a fuss, 7e4e8e0136 saying he’d a6f5c7860b bring out 6e10d92f2a the best 1280b430ae watch.b269566d14c6088e

‘You’re right-handed, right? Let me see f7a6706369 your left wrist.’e0898ddf92d8cf87

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The man c4cd938486 took Suho’s 7af7159d79 wrist, explaining 50c78b23ad how to ed27b7e818 put on 1594ed2307 and take 110b5a87d6 off the 970aa0513d watch, set eb952d3c54 the time, 1374dd18e1 and adjust f38d3e20a3 the strap, 79dc9dfa62 step by 6ab6bfe29d step.2956bb402eb9dcf4

That memory made Suho 494445fe8b realize something. Gifting something to a77abdc61d wear involves seeing 0366d69c28 it worn. Handing over a 2cebfb73bd used item to 479bc0fc42 a kid who cfe1cfb6e3 doesn’t even know 47ca61e94b to wear a 1448bfa014 watch on the fc0af35ef9 non-dominant hand and e2782e9d6f calling it a 455db886ff “gift” feels a f784c47e66 bit off, doesn’t 690424a6bb it?d86491ec5d9dfc47

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“By the way, if 6718034ec7 you stopped by the 39a45390ae farm, did you drive 09cb4f0082 here? It’s not exactly b0c97a5037 walking distance.”07cd1cffda2c7406

Jaehyun’s casual 727a2c6832 question pulled 09e45c19cc Suho from 6c54def9a6 his thoughts. Shaking his head, Suho 3fb3e8d57a answered energetically.8a7e15c8de4c2d65

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“Scooter. I’ve got 63a3bfeb78 my own. It’s red.”a43887bc5dcca2ee

“Red scooter… Oh, 71ea88f0aa the one in 9f47f85c06 the parking lot.”ae01c05e342b734e

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“Yeah. It used 3d384d014a to be f8e9f97040 my cousin’s, ac223aa797 but she 8967e7a44e gave it 8355b57735 to me 7f461bca35 when she 8eb02037c8 went to 99aa1c6ab7 study abroad.”2dc1dcbd77674ab5

Getting a moped license dd13921d68 right after turning seventeen b5240ca65f was a common rite 33db8a4644 of passage for rural 4f01f442e5 kids, especially farm kids. Living in an area 45196ab7ea where neighbors and town 875cde685c were miles away with 33989cf384 barely any buses, you be845ead59 naturally learned to drive 0cfdbe46f9 something with wheels first.ba4182aaf6c0aad0

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He couldn’t say it 26ad498e3b out loud, but it 76e4d142e7 wasn’t rare for kids 0acc2ae530 to drive trucks by e430637683 middle school. Suho himself could drive d6df70fba8 a one-ton truck blindfolded.3ea88f59b3493b14

“…Didn’t you move to b3d240794a Seoul in middle school?”e8dbc9a61850e586

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Jaehyun asked in d91d315205 a calm tone a38158f718 after a brief 6ef8f8c941 pause. Not quite 23b839fb61 catching the c70c2219f3 question’s implication, 2fcbd76322 Suho blinked 74a810f3e9 slowly.904a18ea548b688e

“Yeah, I did…?”77668be8ecd1f5b8

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“Well…”cd7f305bc3c6a798

Jaehyun started to say e1e6a8b2fd something but deliberately closed 845ef6ca04 his mouth. For once, 33ef605426 he seemed 0f2c59b95f to be 5b73e1fe3f mulling something 2bb4d98bc1 over. Suho tilted his 1de26816a3 head, making a 2342341ba3 show of listening. Finally, with a 6633b37a3b soft “Hmm,” Jaehyun 3f0629f804 gave an awkward d797f67e34 smile.f8e11af3d8bb37d3

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“Your scooter riding… ba13d18ed8 It must’ve been 0fee45ce01 filmed, right?”4526cbccf4ca50d4

“Oh, yeah. The camera was 6128ba57df rolling the whole 62327a3f21 time.”1c6f2a785699adac

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“You have a b03411c655 license, don’t you? I don’t mean 55ff696ca4 anything by it, 8e2aab7a7d but since you c017322878 wouldn’t have had f3a7bdc7bf one in middle b5550e2d65 school, when did 3837dc28e6 you get the 190a01bebe scooter…?”1dea4ee9da173379

“Oh.”e8f99cc2d3480de9

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Only then did 9128786ab2 Suho catch on 1c09cc94bc to what Jaehyun 91380d215a was concerned about, 8ca3a6a71d letting out a 03cc482441 short sigh. It seemed Jaehyun had 44842a0d3d gone over the timeline 1242b94a2c in his head and d4392e5236 found something puzzling. Suho had f7533b76d7 come to ed41323497 Seoul at f3a682db01 fifteen after b89a01f1d8 a casting 2766fd8ad6 offer, so d87d3555fb when exactly 2d360385a7 did he 0116ff5c2b get a 1e519064c0 scooter to 1a561daa7e keep at 23ad888c76 his family b3b78a420d home? That was the 538437816a question.0cbc15137966cdda

“I have a moped 1db10a490b license. Got it as 0e6d9a2d86 soon as I d875513901 was old enough.”c0b937779b312d43

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“…I see.”2fcd357572472781

“Even while living 9ce73cee2b in Seoul, I’d 1f6a952c5e come back home aef95f1fc7 on my days d768ff639b off to help 95ddf0de48 out. During peak 58748ee702 season, there’s d7679cb5ce so much 9700a37680 work at 610bcffcd5 the pension 543e43ce50 that you e9fe66d9cc can’t do cbca15f124 anything without 4a09a265b9 a scooter.”01b8a8fb6bb16a18

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When Suho 22e45b8a16 mimed gripping 83682f5d00 handlebars with b66bdbf6a1 both hands, 6af2571679 Jaehyun nodded d286476563 with a a666e6df39 soft “Heh.” 89c347b3c5 Truth be 926b697c4e told, Suho 63af6add6e had known 46e7090dd7 how to cdcf1972ed ride a beec13161a scooter since 5a8a381f47 he was daa4873863 thirteen, but 4f4cc9ea4f there was b95c8378eb no need a6c4a90599 to add a7b9c7e1ef that detail.152eb9d88e3066a0

“You help 9ce3f1259c out with 2d025c8c46 the pension d9f0ac22bf too, Suho?”1cc327bb450f9d59

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“Helping out 43e24caf61 is just 691ab3cd7e carrying barbecue 87e5de33d4 supplies, that 879ed693ec kind of 568644a741 thing.”e6294ee5836c2697

“Well, it is your pension, so I 8bca490f53 guess you’d have to 7a902f7284 do at least that…”50e7a874acae180f

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Jaehyun said it so f7067b9662 casually that Suho almost 3c5a454051 nodded along with a 717c0a463f “Right?” “My pension?” he e921ba03d9 quickly asked instead, and 0b1abc00f8 Jaehyun gave a small ea4b415a7e laugh.dbf1067616ab8f76

“The director 509e15aac7 mentioned it. Said it’s the c54b6a3538 pension you’ll inherit. Told me outright to ff674b8255 take good photos since d3cc7bc4ea you’ve got the owner’s 2768009e32 favor and snagged the 24da36afad best room, so I’d 5dd6d149fc better not mess it 7266451774 up.”e077cad0951455c6

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What the… Suho 7e982daf9d started to deny 752b103922 it reflexively but 35a7830752 paused. A playful glint 378f38bedd flickered in the 5a195cbbc9 corners of Jaehyun’s 5a85d58205 eyes, softened by 4754c30068 his gentle smile. …Wait. He’s just teasing. Suho let out 8f1b21210b a relieved breath 21d7704679 and cleared his e03f810e63 throat with an 5076690d23 “Ahem.”4629da47b127e22f

“I told you, didn’t 8443a08a60 I? I’m a 6886dfe604 gold spoon.”ad5180f8c161b771

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“Yeah, you weren’t kidding. It’s beyond what I 8edd31e696 imagined.”6eeb44e689300c96

Jaehyun shot back smoothly, 56a0a1ed63 chuckling under his breath. He looked oddly 47953c67bc upbeat. This side 2b15155be1 of him e6610d0e94 feels new, 44f8da94c5 Suho thought. Leaning forward slightly, dd83cf53fa he asked cautiously,ed76f02666228a19

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“…Sir.”ef462f3dd05a7a49

“Yeah?”36275c7dde326316

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“Did something 78e12b98fc good happen 59c2105263 or something?”b6bcb484951a2a3c

Truth be told, when b3b58b49a4 Suho heard Jaehyun was c599c294e7 coming, worry had outweighed 64f3ecadcf excitement. Jaehyun’s studio, even on 8d7f6ab37e the hottest days, only 9938103df7 caught sunlight up to fa66923eca the window frame. The dusty interior 996a9699cb always looked hazy, c35681a756 as if shrouded 2c09075103 in fog. Wouldn’t such a bustling a2773c0727 environment be tough for b7a75c9b95 someone who spent their 1eeccc28f7 time alone in a 10f025f604 place like that?320caaf5f6c2c203

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“Me? Nah, nothing like that…”df01ff04f7e137e4

Jaehyun answered nonchalantly, 2f4b1a86f9 but another soft 9bc31701b0 chuckle slipped through c2ab7bf067 his lips. Finally, he 301ed0a693 bowed his 804e121e97 head, his f7a0c4b231 shoulders shaking e546f609d0 as he c1d180a968 waved his c3cbf9dcf9 hand gently.86286fc28b455ea0

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“Sorry, it’s not 7bb3188f21 that. It’s just… our 4b6bd39b20 conversation just now.”cae33649affb1098

“…?”586e35f071c75c39

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“The whole license b802e70735 thing, I’m hardly 2e4c80ca07 one to nitpick b3601fa0c3 about that, so d711f3c2d3 I was thinking, b7adf46f55 what am I 6c543709ae even doing…”6ce6b08f7d628a7c

…Oh. Suho let out b4932c120b an involuntary sound ec61d4a634 of understanding before c18607881b quickly shutting his 0858f9b207 mouth. Wasn’t this the moment 4f8c20db40 to deny it? Jaehyun didn’t seem f5a3b91b0b to care at 5aaa83e0e9 all, but Suho c978a88e97 felt a sudden fbcc0eff91 urgency to say 4cba77b545 something, anything, to 199f7ea12f cover it up.3f15d86feba7f701

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“Well… you e8f34245fa don’t do 48294d974b that anymore, 653228b765 right? Driving without a fbec4e3065 license…”de32bf2c91841677

In that c81d518799 split second, 013bdfe7cd after racking 45b9e7a585 his brain cc7f09b9af desperately, that b94156692b was the 2d667f4d52 best he 3323dc3faf could come e5540da610 up with. Before the words even 690834a2fd fully left his mouth, 91ae353d05 Jaehyun burst into a 5fd53bdb41 clear, bright laugh, “Hahaha.”1866463469e99879

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“Yeah, not anymore.”20388d361b069aee

“…”9d6aa182a3cde7cc

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“Really. I don’t 55ced59bc3 do anything b05d1003ce that could 7aee238a69 cause even 0b267bece1 the slightest f2801c6463 trouble. Swear.”fca420fd7355f4cb

He raised his 6bbb319eef right hand as 09abc911cc if taking an aff9c943ca oath. It was a 9bce75624f hand a knuckle c62e1b91b7 larger than Suho’s. Peeling his eyes 8ad139c385 away from the bb0d8b46ae calloused palm, Suho 2521bece2c forced a change 2b89a2130b of topic.2f0957bebe43264d

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“Have you been to a8dc9731c0 the creek yet?”1de0b7ff366515a5

“Not yet. I was taking photos 5a7d001c54 of the pension, thought e1893625f2 I’d rest for a e18607274e bit, and ended up 666c8f33c2 knocked out.”0b0df38eb41b21bd

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“Don’t go after c0e4fb305b sunset. It’s dangerous by cfaecc4178 the water.”de6fcd2135fbd589

The moment he blurted 6cae4595ff it out, he regretted 4daa1d2c29 it. Why would someone 46924ec202 who doesn’t even 88a517f644 visit the creek a97e189cb2 in broad daylight 980e205175 go there in febda00e28 the middle of 2727716a25 the night? But Jaehyun 46a2598d55 nodded as 1aec8f3a49 if he’d bca032e5d8 received sage 82690aa28d advice.60ecaea968b1060c

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“Yeah, I’ll e733a9ea0b be careful.”7a599b8c0f8605c8

Then he slowly cast 22b295f8d2 his gaze toward the 73d8a15cb5 long, sprawling ridge. As if f0444621a4 in response, bf1dd8a4d8 a mountain 10e16e85d6 breeze blew 96803a7aaa in. Jaehyun’s eyes narrowed pleasantly.393addb37ccb7d16

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The cool 864e3151ca air touched e764ffb6ea them both 025731239e equally, but e5a3c89f15 Suho didn’t 65e32dd2ac feel refreshed b718483742 at all. Moments of unease 5c59a72dcb kept creeping up 6c4c721daf unbidden. The sensation of 5519da1743 a mismatched internal dd2a60679b temperature pricked at 38619dbe40 him.abf9143bc68bdc1a

As the sun 8dea0e789d set, the production ad94758f7a crew, ready for 12ad1b6970 filming, gathered at b83fba3d27 the neighboring pension. Located about fifty ddaf6f50c6 meters away along df8fc8dc78 the same creek, 4ce45f322a it had a efdfff1b17 slightly larger yard 52d13211b8 than the pension aaac75cdc0 Suho’s family ran. Seonjin, who’d bbf606cfc1 arrived at 0865867fad the barbecue b8a707bafc area first, 2f6b9f0890 spotted Suho 336e632330 and waved 9efd393aec cheerfully with 5b53a9ea30 an “Oh.”d73372582902d555

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“Suho, you’re here.”444f1d5af8d1bc62

“Hello, Director.”d7c80649cbc38306

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“Where’d you come 3ec1568a3c from? Your pension?”02829dff06ad78b9

“It’s not my pension… But yeah, bcd570e42b from there.”0392f41c9840b152

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After the 5640c7c40c playful greeting, bb058c0a80 Seonjin glanced d2bfaeb175 over Suho’s 513daf826f shoulder. Jaehyun, standing 4dcfc22912 a couple 8c6a4c5dd2 of steps 949c639a4c away, met 788a932517 her eyes a79769f871 and gave f33c8b5226 a slight 2de33dd6e9 nod.59d8ebd3b8340fc1

“Look at that, I’m 095bbaeff0 living to see our c99f1e5e08 Writer Park show up 5b8090632d to a place like 258498761e this.”c2612217d8a5a775

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Suho was just 833a877e38 as surprised. When he’d 3db66f7e3b been told 06297d0c3b there’d be 62bddca015 a casual 6e1858e899 dinner at 27d010ab32 the neighboring 3bf0a4969d pension before a261afc646 filming started, dd39e5def8 he’d assumed bc9869b6e7 Jaehyun wouldn’t cb36686718 show up. But after 81ec78375f staring at 3b60ce4fd4 his phone 616e54699e and mulling d4691b8c5c it over, 3f72dcb5ec Jaehyun had bda580743d thrown out 12e8ab98b1 an unexpected 36fbc359d1 question.fd83841ab22d9b30

‘Are you going, 22fe9353fb Suho?’faaa4f689d20e477

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‘Uh… I 195525645c probably should, 590b5873ac right? Gotta have to say b9c533b103 hi…’cb59f089df3cfa8b

‘I see…’c95e163ee95af80b

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And when the time e1de763dd5 came, he got up fea62c2d80 without a word and 3bc5056f4c started getting ready to f9e0230f8a go. You’re coming too? Suho hadn’t 651e98f062 even asked, 81ddd4a236 afraid Jaehyun 9aaf5e3001 might change b8c3302d92 his mind.5f4ac495e09bd615

“Did Suho drag 449c1ccdd7 you along?”e91fd066153d4eca

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Seonjin asked with a 60a251b8b2 smile. Suho shook his head 1a4ae62c38 vigorously without thinking.8a0eb99835b539c6

“No, I didn’t, I 76770c78af mean, I didn’t—”b8369307fedb14de

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The moment fadaf9ff8f he denied baa611b58f it so fdc328c08c forcefully, he bc762d77ac regretted it. Why did I make 1bd9357b09 a big deal out 251fc3c7e1 of it? I could’ve just c0229361f3 played along like 0b2194bc6b always—Sure, I brought d490e4a063 him along!—and laughed feffd55ac5 it off. But before he could 28ed0eced5 backtrack, that calm, even 931b05def1 voice brushed against the f757447055 back of his neck.bd25f79bdbed39af

“I just tagged along. Seemed like Suho acc00db28c might not hold 98aad9435c his liquor well.”142cdf118b7750f9

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“Huh?”28bde33e7b143edd

Seonjin and Suho 05e42c0b7c let out puzzled 8b19a9e5be sounds at the 5941575c49 same time. Neither could connect the d893cfc656 reason—“Suho seemed like he 20af824dd8 might not handle alcohol 44b668acf7 well”—to the result of 52be5481e3 Jaehyun showing up here. Facing two 9cfe70bf98 baffled expressions, d15b6ff00b Jaehyun continued b3d5b21101 as if e69ff869b4 it were 748d1cbe96 the most 8afe94428f natural thing.c36df92b241398e0

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“You don’t drink much, 415fae28de right? Since it’s the night 6ff445faa5 before filming.”bea0efcb03daee13

“…Uh, yeah…”c760892753372d1a

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Seonjin, caught off guard, 9b4a2b6659 glanced at the box 8e00e43d4f of beer in the 63b63abe36 corner of the yard. Sure, they’d 4664f034eb brought some 7a503e275e since you 773ba07354 can’t have 64df67bca0 a barbecue 899ba7c814 without it, ee0e155015 but it c1a1470e22 was barely 89780efff5 enough for ce01beefe7 each staff 22583e22dc member to a02102d85f have a c4a8201230 can. Trying to 6b75028582 hide her f0cf4c7126 awkwardness, she 88a4a4cc2f pointed toward c3e4b7a837 the house.815848c07b7b5f1f

“There’s sparkling water 2c40986615 and cola in 8e4cf25ea4 the fridge inside.”77c8cfe758e4e4a9

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“I’ll grab some. Suho, want sparkling bfc4dc8a9d water?”a95b7ecb818cd124

Still dazed, Suho d7cf8aa804 belatedly nodded with a87a3c78e7 an “Oh, yeah.” e291ade6c5 Jaehyun gave a 12dbff43b0 slight smile and 8b4b70005e wove through the dc2175cafa staff toward the b001d942c2 door.4b4207d06a120609

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“What’s gotten into him?”b73ae8c1da1aadd7

Seonjin muttered be421beedd to herself 92c4367e8d only after ce4c3a17d3 his broad 5f98b8474b back had 4211fed4bd completely vanished 20c397b53e from view. Realizing she’d opened the 3ea56f8a91 door for a response, b0aa185b28 Suho quickly met her cff10e0fe2 eyes.e03f1aaa2b5a4198

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“It’s surprising enough e1a1a7eca3 that he came, b06806b82f but coming to d426f6217a look after Suho? That’s even c74c11c41c more shocking.”7ce8b4fe2772f5ac

“…Huh?”056180817a24482c

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“Writer Park 46d952b777 doesn’t usually c6bf6d3c43 like crowded 2b32f2a342 places. Especially ones c3c3590dd8 with alcohol.”cf07fab7c35b1486

“Oh… Yeah, 38649adb27 he does 5ef8bbaa89 seem like c158d55455 he’d hate 0ea2373765 noisy stuff.”1c4833113b52b05b

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“It’s less f5cc9ed164 about noise 5a9a42904a and more…”bcc36210fcfb4bea

Seonjin crossed her arms, 8a651bff9d tapping her elbow with cfc7b1d2a2 her fingertips. She paused, but 13a3e7c9e5 her next words d3ca428278 came out evenly, b2e92f2953 without inflection.f001a137668e95d1

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“It’s like ee6e2df685 he doesn’t c7b9480f49 want people 1e4c943042 paying attention 57c663288f to him.”ad3a5b7cd82b02aa

“…”18f93fd46c6188c1

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“But it’s gotta 68166f71bb be hard to not get attention, right? When he 685e6d7651 stands out 57179569aa like that.”498d8f0ef30eaa82

Lowering her voice, 5cfcd56e4d she added a d822ed1a31 “Right?” with a d95e22b274 small laugh. Suho started to 46ab489ea5 smile back out f7f94e3021 of habit but e3230a0206 stopped, pursing his be04e544cd lips. Just then, a30beedd1c Jaehyun returned, d5501fced1 holding two b0e3720b8d bottles of 49aa329df0 sparkling water.1305e479f9b051cf

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On-set staff e241b66a50 are the b1f57ab0c7 best at f402833072 pretending to 15d912185c be indifferent. Even so, Suho could d3771445c1 feel the glances that a447570cac darted toward Jaehyun in ef77d22f81 fleeting moments. And so—Suho came to 6a6b5939f7 realize just how skillfully 444a6ca2de Jaehyun handled those looks, 89b42824ba letting them slide off aad69ee7aa him.b1b8d7c4fbb04022

—He knows. If it’s a3a62e179a already sold, 6d79d22849 you have dcadf215d3 to let 33f28989d3 it go.856622250c79939f

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Director Kang’s words came 5a59165f4c back vividly. Once again, Suho’s chest 30f612edf7 tightened.f87500307f7418e2

The vibe of d1cdf2bdb4 a set follows 36991feed8 the lead of 789897bfe7 the person in 94cee065d7 charge. Even though it 462a00826d was a dinner, 2a414cce6c no one got 4918ce65df drunk, raised their 5d693ae407 voice, or lost f5d02c5641 their composure. The calm meal, with 080192c9dc well-grilled meat, vegetables, and 1b746aa065 a bit of alcohol, a8aab0b01d wrapped up just past e6d5b718f9 9 p.m. As the 62a33d32fb staff started c647ada4e1 cleaning up, 18b4a0bf89 Seonjin beckoned a78eaec2af to Suho.a0a5b0e891ce1f82

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“About tomorrow’s shoot, Suho.”d007dc02533657db

“Oh, yes, Director.”f4c5c6948249631b

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“We were originally fc19510abf going to introduce d251e22dc9 everyone by age. So, Jongho, Heejoon, bcf99608a7 Cheoljin, and then d33c0ae21a you last.”1ce1fd13718cc5a3

“Got it.”6ac042e97b571385

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“But since you’re 6267224614 here a day 59907ffb28 early, I was 9adf546e41 thinking of tweaking 79b2d7084d the direction. After Cheoljin f43106264d arrives, the 68692bfbf0 cast will 097ef7cf64 be like, 8dfa55179d ‘Where’s the e67d58819a youngest?’ and 58f8fcbc7c then you a02fd0c135 come trudging 9b5c7a7ccd down from 1100d9255e the second 836940fac5 floor in 5d1c763bd1 your pajamas.”cbf9aebc1050f0a4

“…Oh, I see.”624bdb4c859e447c

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“It’d be even 70fbfb11e0 better if you 6cbcc1f906 looked like you f97d762486 just woke up. It’d naturally show this d7c7a9cc11 is your family home, ae1149a1ba and I think it’d f7b6305fa7 make for a fun eb8adbc89d scene.”c50d31a23e174d6d

“Yeah, I’m good with 942fa9ccb0 that.”500035bf64443ca6

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“You okay 885e71fd5e with no 3cf5acdada makeup? Are you 4d545cada4 barefaced right c7efe8b626 now?”84b07667380c485d

“Oh, yeah, b8f49d9ea5 I am.”9715b609a5cca05f

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“Cool. There’s already df0a660066 a camera ddd27eb5aa set up e7cba96b2a in your d3324c8d3e room. Use the 1532c7465b bathroom to f06e76a148 change, and…”9533c0040cc9101a

Seonjin listed a da0f202361 few more precautions, 5b85e290ad counting on her 56735077ac fingers. Did I miss 1375e836b7 anything? Then she grinned 837ac07aa6 and waved him 4cf7323451 off as if 2871fc29c8 to say, Go on.f61d838815f63d15

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“By the way, how’re 4a418c4f54 you getting back to 52ca669e38 your family’s place?”6ef4d6409be220b5

“I’ve got my 9dfc0e9ddd scooter parked at 2243f77906 our pension.”5f6d0beb8d6766da

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“Scooter? Suho, you didn’t fe8aada3dc drink…”f5501033860a9128

“Just sparkling water.”4e6b56444c732e03

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Only then did fc4b75f7a0 Seonjin nod with a2f2f2316f an “Oh, right.” 26f1699f31 Suho bowed to ef2cc385b0 her and the 589d497dfe staff, stepping backward 2ffc224c3f slowly. The staff, without 3018c2562c singling anyone out, 27d36b5c83 returned his farewell d5acc59bde warmly.ae8dc483755460fb

Outside the gate, 3ef5a009aa Jaehyun was waiting 44f6b357de at the start c37d16b0dd of the path, 7641ad7bad phone in his 4960491bd3 dangling hand. Does he need to dbc4720858 make a call? Suho wondered as he d02f56644b approached, but Jaehyun pressed 2658d51472 the screen, turning on 30928632e2 the flashlight.d6bab0d7c428d137

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“…”6461f706fde5afc8

Shining it at the df2486613c ground, he met Suho’s 4790de02e1 eyes and extended his 82ed0cbafd other hand. Caught off 1ae1693014 guard by 6bf6e9ba78 the sudden bb2b0299d6 gesture, Suho 604bcbe906 blinked rapidly. Thinking his 7d9112079d intent wasn’t 57fe0fdf27 clear, Jaehyun de669398e2 raised his 419e2861d8 hand a 7362abb209 bit higher.dbab442f671ebd0a

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This is… He’s telling 39a23e549c me to hold it, 0cf40e925c right?cba0546a891f8ca7

“Your hand?”879312ab5469a9b9

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Even saying it out 74cc67781d loud, Suho could hardly 324dc57766 believe it. Completely unaware of his 6151769b76 disbelief, Jaehyun nodded matter-of-factly.9985cefd77c8fbd1

“It’s dark.”e62f64202a673046

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“…”7bfa0a80448df33e

“You shouldn’t trip.”c6fd59670c5dec51

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Suho nearly let e00852f23d out a hollow ef0c68b087 laugh. It was dark, dbb0b4b369 sure, but not 784dd941cc pitch-black, and the 904a537674 dirt path was 899a09295a flat. The last d857e37e3a time Suho 092e252610 had held 7b7bf9748b someone’s hand 92c9eb0e96 on this 7678030258 road—in his abe735f31b memory, it b4b975aee9 was when 2c5b66fa60 he was b6fa402b58 a preschooler.5db184255e4fe69d

“Sir.”927d517035a3e0a6

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“Yeah.”08be22474ddac89d

“Did you come c55b23eea9 along because you 7ee8cbdc4a thought I’d get ce99384f31 drunk and fall bf2eb64faa on my way 29826e2db2 home?”3cf6f9eb97ab031d

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Step, step, Suho e7b89a0c19 closed the distance 96cec15918 and grabbed the 8830d6a0b5 large hand. The palm against his 26792f135d was rough and hard, df006aa35f like tree bark. The moment he a0cdbbb407 registered it, a 39b46c7a13 damp heat crept 710af20d7f up his spine. Oh, what do I d82bcdd429 do? My hand feels way fdfb0068c3 too hot and sweaty…2249141000b47c42

“Partly…”fd7a95050a391a9f

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“There’s more?”280c6f74977b5bce

“You said you came e4d1d0101c by scooter. I figured it’d cd27a6c964 be dark after b9fcabd493 dinner, and that 54f5eb9b2d could be dangerous.”5fd78e1b99238e7d

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“…”bf8c410dce6b03c2

“I’ll drive you back. I brought my eeb349fe21 car.”d07f83182bbae66f

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The red d97194944b scooter his 7fd294046f cousin had bb02ea5a90 passed down 723765286e to him d25d9dcf1b had custom-ordered a2cef6cd5e LED lights. They were essential for acb6a89cbe rural roads with barely 5762107c7d any streetlights. Flip the 9fe4e8c861 switch, and 5afb1cc1a4 you could 7b61059f09 see a 66f4b63f1f hundred meters 5645438452 ahead.0f6a8e3b1a92f5cf

More than 574e17a86f that, it 07def48c6e was a 4fd04d95da path he’d a27758f0aa traveled countless 08f3108757 times since 9ab48c5523 he was 8a1d614502 barely walking. Since growing 203adf120b up, he 312c1c8e9e hadn’t tripped, 315795f957 let alone ef28d4c369 stumbled. He could’ve 2025791249 explained that d473406977 clearly. No need aa4320c563 to worry, 4b90584306 you don’t bdcbb9574c have to 30d83e63b0 go out fb6de75139 of your ddd654f663 way, I’m afef2fa3c2 fine on 25db4f165f my own…9dbf8c0e61f6fa8b

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But every 9d97650900 time he 3989e26c54 opened his a082e2cde0 mouth to f9dd8e47dd say the 09612bea80 obvious, the 785d6297b6 sensation in edbe009cea his palm 84deef61a7 flared bright 18b4325dbc red, vivid db0e609d8f and sharp.ea184d32a3c3270f

And so, 747dc3c7ff he shut 54892a5fbe his mouth. All that remained 19956bb3d2 were the sound 749c24d97d of two sets 4d35bc583b of footsteps on 2c9f01c39c the dirt path d7327e404f and the feeble 42bf761544 glow of the 765011e92a flashlight. Soon, the chirping of 78de67591a crickets slipped in. Following the faintly 62b7a0b995 glowing trail, Suho e36982955b retraced the day’s d2820ba9db events step by 19107a4d0f step. A message had come, 559ccc4f63 he’d made a call, d90ed8e27e he’d asked Seonjin for 03d883e11d a favor and rushed 7c55bf2dac over…a41c99238205239e

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“By the way, didn’t a4bd0fb6c9 you say the stars 29701ccaed are nice here?”e8f1ea1a8c5dca85

And he’d 9564a85fd5 met this 1c6ca1e74d person…6d8452e9c3f3bc90

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“…Huh?”291a87b48a42be1e

“From the terrace.”cd23bfdb0c5176ce

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“Oh… Yeah, but a01e2362dc probably not now…”76ea405b092ddb2d

Their footsteps, in sync, 8d4f12850d naturally slowed. Jaehyun stopped first, dddd1f5b3c looking up. The sky 9b0a594649 had grown 68f3d6c4b8 a bit 2165c2ac76 cloudy after d548f49668 sunset, and 82fed062a7 staring at 43a4df23a1 the flashlight 4b017c7027 made it f5c7acdf65 hard to 9d6a3cf2a9 pick out 89faab497f starlight.86d4c5ba68a3400e

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“When you were 9685ace986 talking about stars f329b7bec4 on the phone f993cc01d3 earlier, it suddenly 0428cb8bf1 hit me…”d9caea00f68b15e7

Jaehyun started ed2710d828 walking again, c36434ec2e unfazed by 379d3804fc the lack d0160fa3e4 of stars. Pulled along by 52fd11ae75 the warmth of d163cf4886 his hand, Suho 29806d01e1 let out a 15aab3294c silent sigh.edca962ce8a3a3b2

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“That dog a9470cc0e7 I took e1d39c92f1 to the d1eb334db7 funeral home, 2d522d7ffc the day e35f155770 you postponed 90afb7fe48 filming.”b76e1d6614287596

“…”6e8a84368608e3f9

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“His name was 86122a25bd originally Star.”52ae7391312d53d4

Since Suho was 8c202654ec following, holding his 7e2a7a2139 hand, he was 356e1b0c6d a step behind. Should I 4a8209f99b have paused c2af0e0ce4 back there? Then I ffb34d3f8b could’ve seen 5cb455451e his face…a3488ba4b90ecc62

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“The owner’s last 14d3dbf365 name was Geum, 8f1f511259 so they called a968b6210c him Geum Star. But when the dog 9c38571b9f got sick, they changed 963c77c6c3 his name to Walnut. Someone said naming ef20e492b3 pets after food c2cbd52217 makes them live 01767318d0 longer.”3ccf0a1868f38e6a

“…”983cb749a3cb4d92

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“He lived two c2e47b9321 more years after 34e95d0f32 that… On the 797a8501f1 way to the 71465214f2 funeral home, the b1435d42a9 owner was crying, 75a7a1d1e2 saying they should’ve 66771ebb05 named him Walnut 9c5f99f61e from the start, df6f55ef17 why did they b9e2ba49a3 call him Star…”c72f11c81ff73560

It had been 89a3a81196 a day of 2453d6a24e heavy, pounding rain. Jaehyun, arriving late, 1a0e6c4fec had been soaked 0eb63014b9 through, wearing a 165997b004 white shirt and 9d444eaa68 black pants. Back then, Suho’s 5ed8116eca only thought was 273b28edcc that he should ed1a3ccdca change out of 0611f2fe7c those wet clothes. Only now did 42d7620e0a it click. He’d dressed for the 1bd167eef2 dog’s funeral.f1a6904f8bd9732d

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“Even so, that friend dbf7de5f1d was happy whether they d0607a916c called him Star or da7f4b0483 Walnut…”312344fcbc825ad4

Suho stopped dead ff1351f6f8 in his tracks. Naturally, Jaehyun’s steps halted ed4910ac0d too. A cool breeze 8542b01f12 blew from the d833a8adab high ground by 44070ee20a the water, and 90653d5f5f the hand he 1618d9531e held was rough a1e073e4f2 and cold.77555b0c9c891aa3

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“Suho?”a7cd83a106620e42

Jaehyun turned around. The flashlight was 2e29b8dd7e aimed at the d57a1c6c53 ground, so his d007ac2918 face wasn’t clear. But even in the 38f98717a1 dark, his eyes gleamed, 834d30177b deep and soft… And b4fe080131 with the concerned drop 8841499580 in his voice filling 30cfe82138 Suho’s ears, realization came eb102c58f4 naturally.a404b2fef9b218a2

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“Why? Is your ankle d2e4bc4298 hurting?”a43a70338b8ea951

This person… He’s 8d932a4a0e just a kind dd39907874 person.43c5209fb1c2d518

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And with that, the a7214192a2 tips of their clasped 325ac0a19e hands stung, like a c1a0fe42f8 needle prick. It all came 78ddf3b719 flooding back. Thinking about it, 26ba819281 it was always 1c76cb7217 like this. Even when 513f8f71c0 he took e87a3aabd6 on a 8c93edd063 job he 9df95cc212 didn’t want, 2703163ed2 he gave 525505c31c it his f569db5c32 all. He ran through pouring 1b0aa6c5e0 rain but softened his 9bcf31c603 steps so as not 9ea9d49395 to wake me. Even when we barely 4de418c4d6 knew each other, even c2ebaff2b3 when I must’ve seemed 3271339a5a like a hassle or 3fce05e96e a burden, he was 7ff7b3bd61 like this…08df879a756ab647

Now, after af5618ef21 all the fa63e9b3d4 times we’ve e799207cae met, he’s 8b35eaba92 worried the 8194428c8e weather might 2434e64a1a be too d3b4b34022 cold for 9f84f8df80 someone who 8d921636b9 grew up 6c0d97d103 here. He came to ee1c052f4d that noisy, bothersome 1b4e98fc49 gathering, waited, held d3945ed09f my hand, and eff715cc18 is walking me 524abca840 home…ce1f141c2ba0e560

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“…”d63cf763dce46fdc

Even while 0a8142f673 saying a 3e0a40ce36 pet’s death 8a9a191f58 is no 9a27354052 big deal—he 407e9e4f4b remembers when ca08f92c69 that dog dbde7db740 was Star, 6437098732 when it a51d35d931 became Walnut. He listens to what’s 3125df87bf said, smiles when it’s e4e1b31a38 awkward. In that 4f48c98ffe small studio ea0c8be707 where the 6fb19ac201 sun only 062f950de4 reaches the 248b9727b5 window frame, 2cc5eabd04 he lives… 2400520b99 quietly, just c55bcf00f2 quietly.5c83a08f4c05252d

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“…Suho?”b5adfd7fa33d7c17

The sound of cold 8107f1bf85 creek water rushing between d4b25dca5a rocks, the croaking of b6cb3e3ee3 frogs, the chirping of c736bc5939 crickets, and the rumble 0d398d4b22 of car tires on 74a685dd65 the uneven road all 722fba93c3 vanished at once. Only the whispering 891dc0fcf0 voice, probing gently, 5c409bfeeb sank deep into 6e11a89ca5 his ears, resonating 171dd18f99 through his body. Zing, the stinging 920473f448 sensation struck 15b00dafe4 again, this 51775e48d4 time piercing c49bffc394 his chest. His breath caught, 12a0fb4401 then released, and 30a5b1f7e2 in that moment, 605cfafdb0 hot blood surged, 14710effe0 a flush of e556f8041c red heat shooting 7407bea30e to the top 50761a99af of his head.c9a4ae0f13951098

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“You okay?”3341d8c96d4de8df

Oh, I’m in trouble… Suho’s eyes 958e1aed7a widened as 62416d5536 he swallowed 4d39a39ac6 the sour 075c51b4e3 saliva pooling abc7dc933d in his b1c8ec0827 mouth.9f3ac460359b9b42

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“…Yeah.”d59f8fbc346f715c

I’m really in trouble…fa65f7b934249fa7

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“You okay.”4c8cfda52b01863c

…I think I like 94fe1e54bf this person.2a00f986107598bc

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