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YURIM297Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmaoCBtTp9Z
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The women's locker room wasn't as occupied at this time of day. Most customers preferred to be indoors around this time, winding down. It was a small but quaint hot spring inn. There weren't as many sauna rooms as other, more established businesses, but it was a pleasant experience. What customers loved most was that it was a secret treasure hidden away from tourists.
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This place was filled with childhood memories. Our family spent a lot of time here as it was the most convenient and affordable way of spending quality time together. My parents worked so hard to keep this place running like it is today. It was hard to imagine that one day I'd be managing this place without them.
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I pinned up my hair before covering it with a towel, securing it in place with a knot on each side of my head. A wide doorway lead outdoors where the hot springs were. Before exiting the women's locker room, I wrapped my bare body with a towel like everyone else.
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The cold mountain air hit my skin when I stepped out onto a stone path under the sky. Evening gradually approached night time with sherbert clouds drifting high above. I followed the stone path until I reached the last pool at the far end. Steam was rising nonstop, creating a hazy curtain between me and the others in the pool.
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I took my first step into the hot spring. The heat itself felt as though it burned the impurities off of my skin. Step by step I lowered myself deeper into the pool until the water reached my waist. I walked over to the two girls I came with and took a seat opposite of them, the towel around me completely submerged. The warmth after the biting cold air was soothing.
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As much as I loved the cold, there was something undeniably relaxing about soaking in hot water. Though I wasn't sure how much relaxation I could get with these two around. I let out a contented sigh as the two girls were discussing their disappointment in me.
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Minju brought her best friend, Hyeji along to hang out with Jimin. But the two were disappointed to find out that I had notified my parents about this visit with the guys. Which was sure to end with my father offering his chaperoning services. Well, it wasn't as much an offer as it was a requirement.
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Still, my little sister and her secretive habits are concerning to say the least.
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"But we could've used the family hot springs with them." Minju complained. "Mom and dad didn't have to know."
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"That's why they always say 'no' to you when you ask for something. You can't be trusted. Besides, we'll see the guys later. Just relax and enjoy the water for now." I leaned back and closed my eyes.
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"Easy for you to say, you already have one under your thumb."
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"What are you talking about?" I asked, unmoving.
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"Doesn't Seokjin-oppa like you?
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My head sprung back up. My eyes opened to look at my sister. I'm not sure what I was searching for. Maybe an indication of an attempt to deceive me? An attempt to suck up to me? Or did she actually mean what she said this time? Hyeji looked genuinely interested in the topic, here eyes darting between us.
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"Why would you say that?" I demanded.
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The thirteen year old rolled her eyes as if I should've known the answer to my own question. "Don't act clueless. I saw the way you two were looking at each other in the living room. Did you think I wouldn't see?"
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What a relief my face had already gotten rosy from the heat. But butterflies still managed to flutter in my stomach from the simple mention of Seokjin. Was Minju right? Did this mean he liked me?
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"Wooow! That sounds really romantic!" Hyeji chimed in. "Eonni, can't you tell us how it all started?"
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"And don't skip the bathroom story." Minju smiled mischievously at me.
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"W-what are you guys talking about?" I stammered nervously. "There isn't anything to tell. Really, you're imaginations are running wild again."
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I leaned back and closed my eyes again. But it was in no way aligned with how I felt. I wanted to both deny and speculate the chances that Seokjin may actually...
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No! Speculating will just make things worse. It's not wise to get ahead of myself.
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SEOKJIN
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"I still can't believe they let us come here for free!" Jimin waded excitedly from one end of the pool to the other. "I really lucked out, joining you and Hoseok that day."
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"They said we'd get a room for free. Don't be surprised if they give us a tab at the end for the food we ordered." I reminded him. Though, I myself was restless with excitement as well.
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I had gone to many hot springs and spas but I hadn't been nearly as cheerful then as I was now. Which made sense. I didn't know Yurim then.
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All I had in those days was a father who seemed to forget he had a son until he wanted to push a future on me. I had a mother, though gentle and loving in nature, who would never contradict her husband or speak against him. Even when her son stood alone.
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And who could forget my friends? An ever changeful string of fakers. Friends whose parents forced them to build a relationship with me, the son of the CEO of the second biggest construction company in South Korea, for the social benefit of their business lives.
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Unlike them, my friendship with Jimin offered his parents no advantage but perhaps personal pride. Plus, he's the only one who had ever encouraged me to go my own way, instead of settling for my father's plans. 'It takes a lot of courage to prioritize your own happiness', he'd say. It was true enough for big company heirs.
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"Speaking of Hoseok, where is he? Isn't he coming?" Jimin inquired, searching toward the door.297Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFbVB9wAxAD
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"He said he had to make a call." I answered.
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"Who would let a call keep them from this?" He backstroked past me before submerging his head underneath and coming back up. "Woo! I could feel my pours opening."
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I chuckled and pushed water at him, "this isn't a swimming pool!"
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"That's right so why are you pushing water at me?" Jimin smiled. Then playfully skipped his hand on the water, slapping droplets at my face like darts.
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"This is supposed to be relaxing."
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"But how can you relax when the girl you like is somewhere on the other side of this wall naked?" Jimin laughed. A sudden image flashed of Yurim. A kind smile beaming to those around her. Her bare shoulders and collar bone peeking out from the water.
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I blinked away my imagination quickly before it could get worse. A subtle sting of annoyance hit my nerve at my friend's dangerous comment.
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"Don't talk about her like that." I warned.
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"Don't talk about who like what?"
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The two of us turned to see Hoseok had just arrived. But instead of just a towel around his hips, he also wore a black, long sleeved shirt.
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"Oh, Hoseok-shi! Aren't you gonna jump in the water? What's with the shirt?" Jimin asked.
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Hoseok circled the pool and chose a spot on the rocks to sit down where he let his legs drape into the water. "Ah, I was born with overly sensitive skin. So even if I did hop in, I could only take it for a couple minutes before needing to jump out."
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"That's too bad," I said. "But I'm glad you joined us anyway."
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"Ah it's okay. The steam itself is nice." He smiled optimistically. I smiled back at him, understanding why Yurim enjoyed his company. Hoseok seemed the type who didn't see a rainy day as a hassle. Someone who wouldn't see her honest words as a slight against him. He's someone who couldn't fail to make her smile.
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I was envious.
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YURIM
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Another complaint I received from my sister was about how our parents took it upon themselves to spend the night here as well. Initially, dad insisted he and mom stay in our room. Dad claimed it was impolite to take up three rooms for free when there were paying customers all around. But we all knew it was to make sure our room didn't get any uninvited guests in the night.
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I assured him it was unnecessary since the guys were nice guys. He was still unsure but mom was able to convince him to settle for the room next to us instead. For Minju, it wasn't quite good enough, but I knew it was the best compromise we were going to get.
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After drying my hair, I threw on a sweater and jeans and made my way to the rec room.
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In our little establishment was a recreational room, which was where we'd meet the boys. In one corner sat a ping pong table. In the other, a pool table. Between the two was a dart board on the wall. Under it sat a cabinet filled with board games. People played them on the tables and chairs that lined the adjacent wall.
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On the opposite wall of the cabinet were various vending machines of snacks and drinks. At the center of the room sat two sofas facing each other. A coffee table placed between them.
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Hoseok texted me that they arrived already. I guess I was going to be the first of girls to join them. No doubt, Minju and Hyeji were taking extra time to beautify themselves for Jimin. But as I approached the door to the room I spotted my dad pacing in front of it. His arms folded on his chest.
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"Appa? What are you doing over here?" I asked curiously.
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The square faced man with the square spectacles met my gaze. He cleared his throat and tucked his hands into his pockets. "I just wanted to make sure things were alright here."
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I looked from him to the guys who were enjoying the ping pong table. "And are they?" I looked at him, hopeful.
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"Can't be sure yet." He glared through the glass door at them. Hoseok happened to see us and waved. I waved back. "You once had a hard time making friends."
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I blinked up at him but nodded. "Mhm."
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Dad then gave me a pained look. "Can't you go back to those times?"
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"Appa~! It's hard to go through adolescence without friends! I was lucky to find them!"
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"But why did your friends have to be boys? Hm? How did all three of them turn out to be boys? Do they not have girls at your school?" His eyes became wide but his tone remained mostly hushed. But that was only out of consideration for the customers. "We've been making you the standard for your sister and now she sees you've surrounded yourself with these boys! This doesn't help her foolishness!"
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I did nothing but wait for him to express everything that was on his mind. This lecture was more of a freak out than a scolding anyway. He was just worried. But then a mother and daughter walked by and my dad immediately hushed to give them a kind smile of acknowledgement. Once they were gone he sighed heavily.
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"Ai~ I shouldn't lose it here." He rubbed his neck, calming himself.
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"Oh," I nodded my head in agreeance. "Why don't you take a walk and you can check on us again later, okay?" I gave his shoulders a little massage as I walked him a little ways in the direction I had came before sending him off.
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"Mm," he agreed. "Watch your sister."
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I couldn't help but feel grateful for my mother for not telling him about the bathroom incident. How much worse would he have reacted, I wonder? I shivered.
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At last, I entered the rec room where Jimin and Seokjin were playing an exciting game of ping pong. I couldn't help but grin at their faces as they kept shifting from focused to anxious to laughing faces. Seokjin was sporting a pair of light blue jeans and a green sweater that seemed to accentuate his broad shoulders. This was only my second time seeing him dressed casually.
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"Yurim-ah!"
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I jumped and looked to Hoseok who greeted me. My eyes went back to Seokjin who was looking at me now. He gave a small smile which I returned. Jimin was immersed in the game and announced himself the victor of that rally, giving himself a point.
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"What should we do?" Hoseok asked with his usual giddy excitement. "Pool? Should we play a board game? Oh! What about darts?"
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I tapped my finger to my chin and puckered my lips in an attempt to think cutely. "I'm no good at pool. What about darts?"
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"Okay!" He clapped. My best friend skipped like a kid to retrieve the darts. "I'll be red, you can be blue."
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I lost miserably to Hoseok at darts. I never knew he was so good at it. Luckily Jimin and Seokjin joined us later and I was able to win by teaming up with Hoseok. We were just celebrating our win when Minju and Hyeji turned up.
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"We're here, everyone!" Minju walked toward the sofa with a hop in her step. Hyeji followed her with a big smile and a box in her possession. "Are you all ready for a fun game?"
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The two middle school girls opened the little box and set up the contents of it onto the table between the two sofas.
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"What game is it?" Jimin asked.
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"Come and see." She waved all of us over. "It's Hyeji's game so I'll let her explain it."
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We walked over curiously. The boys sat on one sofa and I joined the girls. Two deck of cards lay next to each other. A thin deck was in Hyeji's hand.
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"So, this is a truth seeking game for us to get to know each other better." Hyeji spoke with a bubbly tone. "Everyone starts with two cards in their hand. A pass card and a block card." She distributes the stack in her hand to everyone. "When it's your turn, you pick a card from the questions deck and choose one person to answer the question on that card truthfully. If you're picked, you may avoid answering a question one of two ways. One, you drop a pass card which allows you to pass the question on to someone else. Or if you don't have a pass card you may opt for a punishment from the punishment deck."
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"So what are the block cards for?" Seokjin asked.
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"Oh, right. The block cards can be used by anyone at any time to void someone's pass card. Forcing that person to answer unless they have another pass card to void the block card. It can go back and forth but the last card gets the last say. The way you accumulate more passes and blocks are by drawing them randomly from the questions pile. When you do draw one, it ends your turn."
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"Everyone got it?" Minju tapped her fingers anxiously on her knees.
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We all nodded, though none of us seemed to give off the same enthused energy as the younger girls. Seokjin's eyes were much like mine. Switching from person to person as though to see if everyone was really okay with this. Jimin seemed to amused by the concept of the game. Hoseok looked distracted, his eyes distant.
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"Shall we?" Hyeji asked. "I think Jimin oppa should go first."
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