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10. You can stay there
That night when the sun set.
The front door slammed shut with a heavy thud. The two entered the living room in silence.
A sofa and table under the lights, and a familiar silence. The weight of the day quietly seeped into it.
When Myeongho, who was about to say something, took a short breath
Seyun opened her mouth first.
정세연
“I’m really… sorry.”
With his head bowed deeply, the words poured out in a hurry.
As if she had prepared in advance, she was blaming herself.
Myeongho paused for a moment. An unexpected apology.
His expressionless face wavered for a moment.
His eyes were slightly shaken, and just as he was about to part his lips—
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“I don’t know how you found out and came looking for me, but… I’ll quickly find a place to live and move out.
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“Really… what a nuisance… I must have made you uncomfortable…”
Seyeon couldn't raise her head, and held both hands tightly in her hands.
Her voice trembled, and every word was laced with self-reproach. As if her mere presence in this space were a nuisance.
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"...He was the one who gave me a hard time...
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But… I feel so embarrassed and sorry for making you go through all this for no reason…
Her shoulders kept getting smaller.
His fingertips were turning white and hard, and his suppressed breath was rising through his throat.
Myeongho stared at her silently. He stood there for a moment, his lips pursed tightly— and then slowly approached her.
And then he spoke in a very low voice.
디에잇(명호)
“…It wasn’t Seyun’s fault.”
Seyeon looked surprised and didn't raise her head, but instead lowered her gaze again.
Her eyes were already filled with suppressed emotions.
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“That guy is weird, weren’t you just a victim?
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But why do you keep saying sorry?”
The words rang quietly, yet firmly. There was no pity, no slight sympathy, in Myeongho's eyes.
Rather, it was the anger of the watcher, and the eyes that understood the same darkness.
디에잇(명호)
“…Just. Stay here. You don’t have to force yourself, so for now…”
Short story.
But it goes beyond the physical space of this house,
It sounded like permission to be by someone's side.
Seyeon raised her head. She looked at him with wide eyes.
Myungho's face remained calm. But his eyes were undeniably warm.
And although his speech was the same as usual, something felt different.
Myeongho slightly averted his gaze and added very briefly.
디에잇(명호)
“…Is it just…because I was always with someone…
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“Being with Seyun isn’t that bad.”
In that moment, tears fell from Seyun's eyes. Biting her lip in silence, she nodded quietly.
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"...thank you.."
Her voice trembled, but it was clearly audible. A sincerity clung to the very edge of emotion.
And the quiet relief that settles over those words, the relief of having someone by your side.
That night, more than words were exchanged between the two.
In the silence, the mind began to sit quietly side by side.