SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:\"'<>,.?/
Driving home, I recalled what happened earlier.
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Love…
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How long had it been since I last heard that word?
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So long, I couldn’t remember.
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Was it from my older sister when I was young?
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Or a girlfriend in my 20s?
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Maybe a playful jest from a fan I met by chance?
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I can’t recall.
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I must have heard it somewhere, but my hectic life blurred the memory.
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No, she didn’t say “love”…
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Nicole didn’t say she loved me.
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She only asked to share happiness.
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Yet, somehow, those words felt like “I love you” to me.
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Why?
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Strange. Weird. Odd.
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Am I this prone to delusions?
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As a writer, I might have some imagination, but I prefer realistic depictions.
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I don’t indulge in such fantasies.
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“Hoo…”
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In the empty car, I sighed quietly.
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Regardless, I agreed to Nicole’s words.
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Maybe it’s not that she loves me, but that I love her…
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Me, loving someone?
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Honestly, if Mijeong heard, she’d clutch her stomach laughing.
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No, not just her—everyone who knows me would burst out laughing.
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“Love…”
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A new emotion?
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Or one I knew but forgot?
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Or just a fleeting moment?
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I don’t know… I don’t get it.
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But one thing I knew:
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My hands kept trembling.
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From the moment I met Nicole, even now.
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When I relaxed them, they shook uncontrollably.
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When I’m inspired… or deep in thought.
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Inspiration or overthinking.
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Simply put, my body was excited.
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A blessing and a warning from my body.
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Still trembling.
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My hands shook from meeting Nicole until this moment.
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Enough to interfere with driving.
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“I want to… write.”
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Some say I learned emotions through writing.
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It’s the opposite.
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I love capturing my feelings in words.
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More precisely, more delicately than anyone.
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“Multitasking…”
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I was dying to write.
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But this feeling was too different from Temperance.
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If I couldn’t blend love with temperance, I’d write about love itself.
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“Hoo…”
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The car rolled on and reached home.
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Despite hours of driving, I wasn’t tired.
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Instead, the urge to organize my racing thoughts made me worry about crashing.
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Are the kids back?
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I calmed my pounding heart.
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I couldn’t face them like this.
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Rubbing my face once, I got out of the car.
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-Slam.
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As I stepped out, the garage door opened suddenly.
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Turning, I saw Hye-yeon holding Jiyu, standing at the door.
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“Uncle!”
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Jiyu wriggled out of Hye-yeon’s arms and ran to me.
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Seeing her, a smile spread across my face.
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“Whoa, Jiyu! Slow down, you’ll fall!”
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I scooped up the running Jiyu.
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“Hehe! Jiyu missed Uncle! Did Uncle miss Jiyu?”
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“Of course! Missed you tons! You know how much I love you!”
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“How much?”
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“As much as the sky and universe!”
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“Pfft! Jiyu loves Uncle infinity!”
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“Oh, wow…”
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Who taught her that?
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“Uncle loves you that much too.”
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“Hehe! Okay! Jiyu loves you that much too!”
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Jiyu beamed happily.
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Holding her, I approached Hye-yeon.
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“Eaten yet?”
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“Yes. Uncle Ryan bought us something yummy.”
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“Oh? Marcello didn’t feed you?”
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No way that old man didn’t.
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He always brought food for the kids, even when we were there.
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“No, it’s not that. Uncle Ryan wanted something other than Italian food.”
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Ryan’s kids were with Marcello today too.
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Maybe as thanks, Ryan bought dinner.
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“Hamburgers and tacos.”
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“Good?”
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“A bit… salty.”
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Korean food has sodium, but the direct saltiness is mild.
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North American food probably didn’t suit her yet.
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“Haha, figured. It’s cold, let’s go in.”
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“Yes, come on.”
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Holding Jiyu, I entered.
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In the living room, Yuri wasn’t there.
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“Where’s Yuri?”
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“Sleeping. She was tired from playing with the kids.”
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“Oh, really?”
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Jiyu, Bessie, and Roy were the same age.
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Hye-yeon played with them, but Yuri, being closer in age, was likely more comfortable.
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With dogs around, it must’ve been easy, but the exhaustion lingered.
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“Jiyu not tired?”
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“Nope! Jiyu’s fine!”
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“She napped earlier. She’s full of energy now.”
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I set Jiyu on the sofa.
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Then I tossed my coat haphazardly over it.
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Thirsty, I wanted water before tidying.
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“How was today? Was it okay?”
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“Hm? Oh, yeah, it was fine.”
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I grabbed water from the fridge and poured a glass.
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The cool liquid soothed my parched throat, easing some fatigue.
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“So, are you dating now?”
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Sparkle!
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Hye-yeon stared at me with gleaming eyes.
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I set the glass down, avoiding her gaze.
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“A-Ah! Uh!”
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She seemed to catch on, but I kept looking away.
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“I’ll keep it a secret.”
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“Thanks.”
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Even if she promised, Yuri would figure it out once she woke.
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Good thing Yuri was asleep—I’d be exhausted otherwise.
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“I’m gonna rest in my room. What about you two? Sleeping in the living room again?”
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Hye-yeon and Jiyu exchanged glances, then shook their heads.
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“We’ll sleep in our rooms tonight.”
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“Yup! Jiyu’s sleeping in her room too!”
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“Really?”
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This morning, they’d all slept on the sofa.
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It wasn’t bad, but with new rooms, it was better to use them.
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Living room sleeping cramped their space.
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“We’ll head up soon.”
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I noticed books on the table—English and Korean textbooks.
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“Studying?”
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:\"'<>,.?/
“Yeah. Talking’s tough, so I was studying.”
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:\"'<>,.?/
“Good timing. I bought some textbooks.”
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:\"'<>,.?/
The ones Hye-yeon had were from Korea.
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For conversation, new ones would be better.
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:\"'<>,.?/
“Want me to grab them?”
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:\"'<>,.?/
“No, it’s okay. We’re about to sleep anyway.”
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:\"'<>,.?/
“Alright, tomorrow then?”
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:\"'<>,.?/
“Sure.”
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:\"'<>,.?/
Wearing just a jacket, I didn’t feel like going out.
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:\"'<>,.?/
They were in the car, so I’d bring them tomorrow.
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:\"'<>,.?/
“I’m heading to my room. Tired.”
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:\"'<>,.?/
“Okay.”
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:\"'<>,.?/
“Uncle! Dream of Jiyu!”
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:\"'<>,.?/
“You dream of me too.”
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:\"'<>,.?/
“No way! Jiyu’s dreaming of playing with puppies!”
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:\"'<>,.?/
Jiyu hugged my leg, beaming.
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:\"'<>,.?/
I patted her head and looked at Hye-yeon.
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“Sleep well, Hye-yeon.”
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“You too, Uncle. Sweet dreams.”
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:\"'<>,.?/
With that, I grabbed my jacket and entered my room.
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The door, usually slightly ajar, I locked firmly tonight.
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“Alright…”
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Tossing the jacket on the bed, I sat at the desk.
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Without changing, I powered on the computer.
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“Let’s write.”
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To sort the chaotic thoughts plaguing me.
SpecialCharactersAndSymbols!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:\"'<>,.?/
I slowly tapped the keyboard.
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