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Realistic or Modern 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚠𝚎 𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚞𝚜

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    sunny days spent in our own little world we were princes and princesses, healers and knights. back when we made promises to stay together forever. it was a time i remember all too well; a time when we were us.

    kang mirae






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A harsh electric feeling crept into Mi-rae’s blood and settled in her chest. Not the kind that sparks pretty and positive, more like a lightning bolt splitting a body down the middle, ash and smoke billowing from the burns it caused. Charred edges whispered questions; Why? Why now? Why me? As if the sky would ever answer back. Mi-rae now knew better than to look up and see something heavenly instead of just clouds that held nothing or ever rain. She should know better than to expect anything else than a pretence of unfamiliarity between the two from this chance encounter. They were strangers now after all, weren't they? Just a face of a distant shore that she once found home in; just some faded photograph left in the sun for too long.

Still, something inside lurched, and it made her feel feverish.

Mi-rae felt as though she had stepped into a fever dream, where reality blurred at the edges and the ground beneath her feet seemed to shift and sway like a ship on storm-tossed sea. Her breath came in shallow gasps, like the desperate wheezing of a drowning man clawing for air. She squeezed her eyes shut, hoping that when she opened them again, the ghost would have dissipated, carrying all the memories and dizziness with him. Flowers of moments she had thought to have trampled had suddenly shot up again, climbing and climbing through her entire being, with thorns pricking and tearing all that still held an inch of softness. She felt like choking and throwing up at the same time.

There was little sense left, and Mi-rae could only barely register what was happening around her; the hand on her shoulder, the coldness of the tiles, the warmth of a body against hers. Voices, one she wished she could not still recognise after everything. No, this had to be a dream. A nightmare? Something unreal. Denial and delusion had always made close friend with each other, intertwining as easily as twin stars. Mi-rae opened her eyes to gaze into that of a mirage, a vision of features she exactly could picture him to have become if he was here. Sharper. Even more handsome. Her hand reached out, expecting to go straight through the figment of imagination, but instead of distorting the image, her finger touched something tangible.

Eyes blinked, focusing on the finger poking a cheek.

Eh?

"What...." she uttered, her throat tightening into a gasp. Her face contorted once more into shock and slight horror as she realised what was happening and what she was doing. Immediately, her trembling legs scrambled herself up. There was as much grace to it as a baby deer but Mi-rae could not care much about that. All she could focus on was trying to leave as swiftly as possible, right before becoming a true mess of a person right in front of him. "I- have to go." her body turned around, fast, faster than light.

Maybe it was because she had drunk way too little water for a hot day such as today. Perhaps it was because seeing Sun-woo again was enough for everything to completely shut down. One step was what Mi-rae could do before the world started to spin.

Before darkness took her.

Groaning softly, Mi-rae wakes up later again. Her hand moved to touch her forehead as pain throbbed there, her eyes squeezing before opening to meet some very bright lights. Sensing that she was laying down, she pushed herself into a sitting position and slowly took in her surroundings with a dazed sense of bewilderment. The room was small and stark, the air heavy with the antiseptic scent of disinfectant. Medical equipment hummed softly in the background. Was this.... the hospital? Her gaze soon fell on the figure in the room, eyebrows shooting up in surprise and recognition.

"Sunn-" the nickname gets swallowed." -woo. What...." so many questions-- Where am I? Why are you here? Why did you ever leave? Mi-rae settled on the most neutral one.

"What happened?



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© weldherwings.


 




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    i will never go back into your arms. but can't stop thinking about you and me. i will never go back into your arms. but can't stop thinking about the time when we were us.

    ho sunwoo






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Hospitals always unsettled him.

The wrenching dread sitting in the pit of his stomach as he impatiently sat in the chair adjacent to Mi-Rae’s bed. An odd beep here and there stung his ears, indicating that the girl was still present in the land of the living. Despite his numerous trips to this very hospital with Mrs Yang, ensuring she made it to all her health appointments, there was something different about this trip. Something that made him more on edge, with a fight or flight reaction ready to trigger off in his body. His mind dawned on what could be the cause of all of this anxiety, before showing beginning to trace the lines of memories he had been attempting to repress over these years.

The last time he had been in a hospital with Mi-Rae was after he had been - … The scar on his lower abdomen began to sting, like a fired-up cattle prod pressing against his skin, recreating the sensation that he often felt when his mind dwindled on past events. A fleeting thought ran through his conscious for a fleeting second as the phantom pain radiated, his glaze flickering towards the girl who laid before him. When she wakes up… would she even want to see me?

When the girl before him had passed out at the store, his first instinct was to call for an ambulance. She was in no condition to just simply be brought home. Mrs Yang urged Sun-Woo to go with the ambulance, to ensure that the poor girl would be okay and not afraid when she woke up in a foreign place; and that they could have some sort of closure at the end of it all. He had been hesitant at first, dark treacherous memories enveloping his critical processing. But Mrs Yang was persistent, nudging him until he finally caved. He could never say no to her.

For a moment, Sun-Woo was trapped in his thoughts; the mental strength needed to climb his way out of the ongoing dark hole he had created himself was beginning to be too much. That was until he caught sight of movement in the corner of his eye. His gaze turned upwards towards Mi-Rae, his eyes widening at the sight of the girl now sitting up in the bed. She spoke softly, and yet her words stung worse than the knife that had been lodged into his side as a teen. Sun-Woo, not Sunny. That was all he needed to see there would be a great divide of the pair; whilst present in the same room together, they were an ocean away.

You should lie back down again,” he responded, standing up to his full height and making his way to the side of the bed. He took hold of the remote control for the bed and began to adjust the head position. “Here. You can still sit up a bit, but just rest back, okay?” It was like he was instructing Mrs Yang, who was always so bold and determined to get her own way during her appointments and scans. Once readjusting the bed, he hung the remote control back on the railing. A small glance back, he caught sight of the chair he had been previously sitting on; he took hold of it and dragged it close to the bed. Even if it seemed like they were no longer the close and dear friends they had been growing up, he still felt the need to be physically closer to Mi-Rae to ensure she felt safe. Whether she wanted that reassurance was another thing to ask.

You have heat stroke,” Sun-Woo began to explain to her as he sat back down again, one leg coming up and foot planting on the seat of the chair; a habit he had developed from his father at an early age as they would sit down and eat dinner together. However, he would never allow himself to do so while in school uniform or seated at the table of a guest’s house for dinner. “They forget to warn the tourists about the bite of the Busan sun” Sun-Woo exhaled, a half-lightened chuckle slipping in at the end in hopes that it would make this meeting less awkward as he gazed at the girl before him.

And then he paused.

Because looking at Mi-Rae wasn’t just looking at some girl he had been good friends with growing up. Looking at her was also looking back at all his past regrets and mistakes. She was the walking reminder of his upbringing, with memories swirling of those times Mi-Rae and her family would come to Guryong village, the slums in which Sun-Woo grew up in with his father. The days they would come, Sun-Woo knew that he had just a couple of hours to forget about the stress of poverty and just play with another kid. Mi-Rae was the sweet taste of what it felt like to be loved and accepted into a family with open arms as her parents invited him over for playtime, bathed and fed him, clothed him and mended any wears and tears in his school uniform. Mi-Rae was the spring breeze that came in his teens, dragging him from a pit of depression and anxiety for those brief months, before passing over like the seasons come and go. She was the embodiment of memories, both great and traumatising.

And yet, for this split moment, as he gazed at her, it brought such great comfort to see her once again. He was kissing both those good and bad memories, greeting them back with welcoming arms despite their intentions for being there. The corners of his lips turned up ever so slightly and slowly, giving the girl a sombre and warm closed-lip smile. “It’s really good to see you again, Mi-Rae” he said with a genuine, warm-hearted tone, his eyes shining with a glimmer of hope; maybe things can go back the way they were before?

The Busan air had definitely turned Sun-Woo into an optimist over the years.







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© weldherwings.


 




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    sunny days spent in our own little world we were princes and princesses, healers and knights. back when we made promises to stay together forever. it was a time i remember all too well; a time when we were us.

    kang mirae






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It's really good to see you again, he said, and Mi-rae could feel something crawling up, scratching, tearing— because isn't this cruel? Mi-rae did well, crumpling all the yesteryears into an insignificant piece of time meant to wither away into oblivion. She thought she did well, moving on with her life, stitching meaningless to what once meant everything. A boy turned man had finally become a rare thought or a shallow sleep, his face seeping into a muddled haze of greige. Unremarkable. Forgettable. A distant memory from a foolish time, best kept as a cold reminder to break your own heart before someone else could do it.

A laugh escaped her, coarse through a dry throat, bitter on the tongue. Somewhere, a heart was still drowning within a lake born from tears; the sky above full of unanswered prayers. Clawed memories peeled off of the walls, her hollow mind now again being haunted by one's silence and her own screams. Some would say that Mi-rae had changed because of life and growing up, others would whisper worriedly and pitying that it was because of him. After all, had she ever truly smiled again since he vanished from her life? No, that wispy show of teeth didn't count, neither did the wide stretching of mouth corners. Mi-rae had smiled, but the sparks were all counterfeit.

It just felt....

"Is it?" fists clenched the white sheets. After all these years, the sun had grown tired of being warm. Of giving light. Coldness stared back at him. "That's a surprise, especially since you seemed so eager to disappear and never see me again." She was surprised he was still here. Part of her expected to wake up alone, trying to make sense of what happened and thinking it was only a fever dream. Maybe that was better. Now, she could not pretend that meeting him again was made up. He was real.

And she?

Her fingers pressed against her temple, the ache in her head growing alongside the hurricane of emotions. Mi-rae wanted to yell at him, shake his bones until he felt as unstable as she did now. She wanted to send him away, wanted to grasp his hand and not let go until he gave her answers. Sun-woo was here, and she hated him. Hated how he smiled at her, all nostalgic melancholia, as if he didn't rob her of hers.

Mi-rae decided she could not look at him, her eyes averting as another question was muttered from her lips.

"Why are you still here?"

the words sounded smaller than she'd like it to.



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    i will never go back into your arms. but can't stop thinking about you and me. i will never go back into your arms. but can't stop thinking about the time when we were us.

    ho sunwoo






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His mouth hung for a moment or so, trying to gather the words spirling in his mind to create some sort of coherence sentence that could mend the wounds he had selfishly created in Mi-Rae’s heart. But he knew that no amount of apologies nor compiled words could melt the hatred in the girl before him. Her words were ice that attempted to cool off the warmth radiating from his genuine gratefulness to see her. It was not the temperature he had been expecting to fall from her lips as she responded to him. His attire was dressed for the beach, awaiting to be sunkissed and radiate in the warmth of the rising sun. Instead, he had opened the door only for his skin to be pierced by the harsh coldness of a winter’s day. Where did her warmth go? What had happened to Mi-Rae?

Him.

He happened to Mi-Rae.

And as he sat there, listening to this person that he felt like he barely knew anymore, he knew that he deserved every second being submerged into the chill that her words brought. Had he been stronger, and had he been willing to seek help, none of this would have happened. Sun-Woo brought his gaze from the girl, and redirected to the floor, almost feeling unworthy to even set his eyes upon her. What was stopping him from telling the truth? Why had he spent so many years protecting Jae? Well, he already knew the answer to that. In protecting Jae, he was protecting Mi-Rae. And Mi-Rae’s safety was his highest priority - even if it meant that she wanted to crush him like a bug with the heel of her foot. But Jae wasn’t here, right? Why else would she be in Busan by herself? Every cowardly instinct that ran through his veins vanished at the thought of it. “I didn’t want to-” words began to fall past his lips, an open confession to how he was forced to leave.

That was until a nurse entered the room.

Ah! You’re awake!” the nurse chimined in a sweet sing-song manner as she made her way towards Mi-Rae “I’m just going to check your vitals. Let’s see if we can get you out of here before dinner, shall we?

As the nurse took hold of the clipboard at the end of the bed and began her protocol routine, she flashed a small grin towards Sun-Woo. “Looking tense today, Sun-Woo,” she commented as she adjusted the pulse oximeter on Mi-Rae’s finger “Mrs Yang giving you hell today as usual?

A soft sigh slipped past his lips as he gazed at the young lady before them; how long had I been holding my breath for?

You know Mrs Yang,” he exhaled, “Always keeping me on my toes

The nurse smirked, taking down records upon the clip board of Mi-Rae’s vitals. “Well, as long as she still gives you time off to head down for Friday night drinks along with Mina, then I suppose you can’t complain, right?” she gazed over the clipboard, assessing his features “You’re still keen, right?

Ah-” he paused for a moment, his eyes flickering towards Mi-Rae for a second; a fleeting feeling of wonder flowing through him. Would Mi-Rae want to join too? Where was she staying? How long would she be staying? Would she even want to be anywhere near me?Yeah keen,” he finally responded, looking back towards the nurse “Unless Mrs Yang’s cough doesn’t settle by then. It’s been pretty consistent and I’ve been keeping an eye on it just incase it evolves into anything more nasty

Sounds good to me” she chimed in a response before bringing her full attention back to the actual patient in the room. “Now, Mrs Kang,” Her bedside manner on full display “Your vitals are looking a lot better. I’m going to get a doctor to come in and do a final assessment, and then we’ll start looking at getting your discharge papers organised. How does that sound?” A wide smile stretched across her face as she placed the clipboard back onto the end of the bed. “Oh - and don’t worry. We managed to contact your fiancé-

Fiancé?

Sun-Woo’s ears tickled, his full attention drawn from that very word. Mi-Rae was engaged?

And he’s on his way over now. He said he’ll be a couple of minutes

With one more bright, chippy, toothful smile, the nurse turned at her heels and was off on her way. The silence sat thick within the room; Fiancé. The word continued to swirl around in his mind, and every so often would attempt to joust his heart. But why. Why did he, in a way, feel disappointed? Well, it obviously couldn’t have been Jae. The boy never seemed like the type of person who would settle down for marriage. So, that meant she had found someone else. Someone new. Someone to replace Jae. Someone to replace him.

So… fiancé?” Sun-Woo managed to wrangle out, not without clearing his throat slightly prior.






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    sunny days spent in our own little world we were princes and princesses, healers and knights. back when we made promises to stay together forever. it was a time i remember all too well; a time when we were us.

    kang mirae






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Mi-rae felt half grateful for the nurse as she entered the room and disrupted whatever excuse Sun-woo would give for abandoning her so. She could not hear it. Not when her bones ache from years of silence; not when her composure was nothing but a trembling heart on the edge of falling apart all over again. Winter had settled because the sun died, having slowly bled empty after the first rupture. An apology from him wouldn't erase the corrosion that happened within, and no scrap of regret could change that he moved on without her.

Mi-rae's gaze only flickered back to him when the nurse mentions a name feminine and too young sounding to be the elderly lady who was with him. Was that why he never sought her out? A strangled noise threatened to leave her lips at the thought. It would all make sense, wouldn't it? Sun-woo had found a new burning star to cling to for warmth, rendering her existence in his life redundant. Returning to a pocket of their shared past would be akin to digging up old roots when a pretty flower bloomed right beside you. Unnecessary. Better left buried. It's what she feared and thought all along too: he didn't need her. Didn't want her.

And why should he?

There was no talent to showcase to the world, no academic excellence to feel proud of; Mi-rae could not offer anything except a fleeting moment of happiness. Except even that seems beyond her reach now. Who would even choose to stay with a flickering candle struggling to stay lit? Mi-rae was painfully aware of her own mediocrity, could not even truly blame Sun-woo for picking Hana or someone else over her. She didn't even know why Jae wanted to marry her still.

Her gaze dropped towards her bare ring finger; she had taken off the engagement ring because she was also mad at Jae. It was petty, but the argument of this morning still lingered in her mind. To find out that he was still in contact with his ex wasn't something light. If only, it fuelled the insecurities she already had. Nevertheless, a smile still got pressed onto her lips when Sun-woo inquired. "Yes, Jae proposed to me last year. I'm just not wearing my engagement ring because I'm afraid to lose it while on vacation-" why was she even explaining this? Lying about it even? Mi-rae should feel happy and proud of her engagement but with Sun-woo, she feels oddly self-conscious about it. She hates it.

Then the doors slid open again, revealing the fiancé in question. Jae, as always, looked perfect save for the few disheveled strands, which told Mi-rae he actually rushed to get here.

"Mi-rae-" his voice strained a bit, pushed by a force of worry. His eyes quickly traveled towards Sun-woo, and the worry brittled into distaste. "What are you doing here?" the question hung like an accusation. Mi-rae knew her fiancé, being protective over her, disliked Sun-woo too because of what he did. He didn't bother hiding it now, though there was still poise to it. A cold smile graced his lips as he walked over.

"It's been some time Sun-woo. I'll take care of my fiancé now, so let me walk you out." A hand clamped Sun-woo's shoulder, the meaning behind it clear.



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    i will never go back into your arms. but can't stop thinking about you and me. i will never go back into your arms. but can't stop thinking about the time when we were us.

    ho sunwoo






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Yes, Jae proposed to me last year. I'm just not wearing my engagement ring because I'm afraid to lose it while on vacation-

The words stung him as they fell from her lips; Jae. It took him every ounce of strength to not allow the muscles in his face to tense and cramp into a frown of disgust. Had she said it was someone she met in university, he would’ve been over the moon. Or even someone else who had been lurking in the background at school, waiting for the day that Mi-Rae would finally be left alone from these boys influencing her life. Any of these options - and more - would have been a thousand times better than hearing that name again.

Jae.

He had finally gotten what he wanted, right? He wanted to get rid of Sunwoo so he could ensure that Mi-Rae would forever be his. Like something he could claim; a prize possession to take hold of and display to the world behind concealed acrylic walls. Stopping the world from basking in the warmth from the rays of happiness that shone from her presence. He kept the warmth for himself; he kept those rays hidden and compressed. Sun-Woo had assumed that the light within Mi-Rae had been long dimmered because of his actions and betrayal, but it began to dawn on him that maybe he wasn’t the cause of it all.

The sound of the sliding door caused Sun-Woo to slightly jump. The push had been far too inconsiderate to be a nurse or doctor, which meant only one thing. The sound of Jae saying Mi-Rae’s name cause a shiver to run down his spine; had someone just cracked an egg upon his crown, allowing it slide down? Automatically, Sun-Woo rose to his feet, hands present by his side. Even the Busan sun couldn’t destroy the anxiousness he felt around the other male.

His words sounded as cruel as ever, lanced with venom that could take out an army charging with great force and brutality in just one spit. A hand planted upon his shoulder weighed as heavy as the guilt that sat in the pit of his gut, only to drag him down more so as he took a subtle glance towards Mi-Rae. No, he thought to himself. He doesn’t own you. He never will. You are not his possession. Sun-Woo shifted his shoulder, sliding under Jae’s touch so he would no longer be clasping upon it. Had it been subtle? Most likely not. But he wanted to show that he was in control of his actions.

It was really good seeing you again, Mi-Rae” He spoke, turning his full attention to the girl and bluntly ignoring her fiance before him “Make sure you get lots of rest. If you’re still in Busan on Friday, I highly recommend the pier at night. There are lots of great places to eat and drink.

Sun-Woo gave her a final small bow before picking up his backpack off the floor and turning towards the direction of the door, completely ignoring the fact that Jae had commented that he would follow him out. It was only when he had finally made his way through the threshold that he heard the sound of the sliding door behind him come to a close, along with an exhale that steamed from the nostrils of Jae.

Thought you died” The other male said in an annoyed tone. Sun-Woo paused on the spot, standing still with his gaze in front and his back towards Jae “A one way ticket to Busan and then… nothing. Not even food or clothes.” Jae let out a soft chuckle, stepping closer towards the other male “I made a bet with my father. He thought that you had been mugged, which would explain why you didn’t use the credit card. But it wouldn’t explain why no one else used it. I guess both my father and I lost the bet. I was so certain you were either murdered or decided to realise how worthless your life was and decided to jump in front of the t-

Well, guess you both lost money then, hey?” Sun-Woo cleared his throat before finally turning to look at the other male. Yikes. You’d think that someone who had all that money would also have time on their side. Sun-Woo was starting to feel a lot better about himself in comparison to the unsaturated male beside him. Jae honestly needed to get out into the sun more often. “I bet Mi-Rae would have just loved to have heard your theories of where I’ve been. I’m just curious if you included the part where your father’s bodyguard almost killed me, or when you bribed me to leave because I wouldn’t pick the ‘same fate’ for those bodyguards?

A smug grin spread across his face; for years he had been planning and waiting for the moment to finally smush it right into Jae’s face. With great confidence, Sun-Woo raised a hand and placed it firmly upon Jae’s shoulder “Enjoy Busan while you’re here. Get some vitamin D - it’s good for your immune system.” he said with a grin, giving the other a firm double pat on his shoulder before turning away and continuing on with his path down the hallway.

Would he ever see Mi-Rae again? Who knew. But at least he knew that his chances were higher with the two lovebirds spending time in Busan.





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© weldherwings.


 




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    sunny days spent in our own little world we were princes and princesses, healers and knights. back when we made promises to stay together forever. it was a time i remember all too well; a time when we were us.

    kang mirae






/* ------ right side ------ */

Mi-rae leaned with her chin on the back of her hand, eyes staring outside the window of her little booth, absentmindedly watching as the blur of Busan's nightlife stumble by. The street was alive with a mix of people—some laughing, some shouting, all doing something. It’s a chaotic parade of faces she didn't recognize, but it was comforting in its own way. A distraction. Something to focus on besides the lingering memory of another fight that burned deeper than the alcohol in her throat.

Jae never shouted at her, always being the calm one between the two of them, but something made him snap in that moment. She knew he didn't mean to, could exactly pin-point the moment he realised the loss of composure, the twist in his face almost as heavy as the words that couldn't be taken back. Mi-rae hated fighting, and a younger, softer version of her would have mended the cracks between them before they could even dare to splinter. Today, however, had been different. Maybe they had both been on edge. Or, maybe there was this building of frustration within because sometimes being in this relationship felt more suffocating and lonely than she imagined for it to be. Jae always seemed to know what was best, always steering their lives as if he had a map no one else could see. But every time he chose for both of them, without asking, it felt like he was drawing invisible lines around her—lines she hadn’t asked for, lines she didn’t want.

No, she didn't want to leave Busan yet. Not after the weeks of gentle begging for him to take a break so they could have a little escape together. All Mi-rae wanted was days of quiet togetherness, just the two of them and the soothing presence of the sea. But it seemed that even in this paradise, he was distant, his mind elsewhere, already planning their next move, their next step; as if he was a chess player too focused on the strategy to notice the pieces falling apart. It was ironic how much she wanted for them to drown in each other's presence again, and yet here she was; alone in some bar near Haeundae Beach, bitterly drinking.

And to make things worse, her eyes caught a group of guys approaching her table, eyes glassy and predatory as they zeroed in on her. “Hey, gorgeous,” one of them slurred, a lazy grin spreading across his face as he stepped closer. “What’re you doing all alone?”

"Ah, actually I'm not alone. I'm just waiting for my friends." She lied, trying to give them an easy smile to appear confident.They don’t take the hint. Never do. Instead, one of them grabbed the chair, the scraping sound of it being pulled backwards screeching in her ears. Their smiles only widened, bodies turning to trap her from leaving. "Well, why don't we keep you company till your friends arrive, hm?"



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