“Hey, uh, back there at the cafe.” Yujin sat beside me sheepishly, handing me a cup of coffee. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to say that last bit. I thought you knew your brother—”
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“No, I didn’t. And you shouldn’t be apologising to me, Damian should.” I cut him off before he could finish his sentence. “Also, I don’t drink coffee.”
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“Oh! Okay, I–I just made things worse, heh. Sorry.” He gave a dry laugh and took the mug from me.
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Things were quiet for a moment; it was really awkward.
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Even the ticking of the wall clock suddenly felt too loud.
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“So, uh…you from around here?”
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“What?”
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“Hey, I’m just trying to strike up a conversation here.” Yujin raised both of his hands in the air. “Unless you don’t want to.”
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This guy—who controls portals, and flies and probably has other abilities I don’t know about—suddenly seemed so awkward.
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I tried to stifle a laugh, but ended up laughing so hard.
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“What did I do?”
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He raised an eyebrow at me, trying to figure out why I was laughing.
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“Nothing. It’s just that you seemed like a cool guy when I first met you, that I forgot you’re like what, twenty?”
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“Twenty-one. And are you trying to say that I’m a kid?”
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“I’m saying that you’re an awkward guy who’s younger than me.”
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“Fine. I don’t interact much with people outside of my circle, sue me.” 14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUOMThPr1QI
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Crossing his arms, it looked like he was…sulking.
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That’s kind of cute.
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Oh no.
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He’s younger than me! I gotta change the topic, fast.
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“Anyway, to answer your question, no, I’m not from around here.”
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Yujin nodded and took a sip of his coffee.
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“Yeah, I figured.”
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Silence settled between us again.
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This time, it wasn't quite as awkward.
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“Can I ask you something?”
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I glanced at him. “Depends.”
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“Why do you want the truth so badly?”
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The question caught me off guard.
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For a moment, all I could do was stare at him.
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“What kind of question is that?”
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkKsMHzy21F
“A serious one.”
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I frowned and looked away.
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“I don't know.”
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“That's a lie.”
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“Excuse me?”
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe8lpQ1SPgz
Yujin shrugged.
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“Not a malicious lie. Just one people tell themselves when they don't want to think about the real answer.”
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“I don’t—”
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Then, it hit me. I’ve always been trying to look for answers, but I never really asked myself why.
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You know why.
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I bit my lips and leaned back against the couch, staring at the ceiling.
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“You want the truth? Well, here’s the truth. All my life, I’ve trained, broken almost all my bones, cried painful tears, learned all these skills, and for what? To face an enemy that I have never encountered. Everyone in my family knows the truth about something. Aunt Holly isn’t even related to me, and yet, she knows more about my parents than I do!”
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“I don’t even know what kind of truth I’m looking for anymore…” I whispered..
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I buried my face in my hands.
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Suddenly, I felt exhausted.
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Neither of us spoke for a while.
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Finally, Yujin set his mug down.
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“I know it’s not my place, but I don’t think they intentionally leave you in the dark about some things.”
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“You mean, everything.” I let out a humourless laugh.
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He smiled a little, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.
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“You know, my grandfather used to do the same thing.”
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I blinked.
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“What?”
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“He'd keep things from me. Tell me I wasn't ready yet.”
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“You?”
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“Shocking, I know. And it’s not just him, my parents too.”
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I looked at him sceptically.
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“Somehow, yes.”
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“Anyway,” he continued, “it used to drive me insane.”
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj4mOWDZKHx
“What happened?”
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Yujin was quiet for a moment.
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Then he smiled faintly.
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“I eventually learned that people don't keep secrets because they enjoy it.”
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“Then why?”
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His gaze drifted toward the bathroom door.
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“Sometimes the truth is dangerous.”
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I followed his eyes.
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The portal.
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Stellarion.
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Everything.
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“But,” he added softly, “sometimes keeping the truth from someone hurts them even more.”
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I looked at him and grimaced.
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“This is probably not the right time to say now, but I know things too. The current situation doesn’t allow me to tell you the whole story until I know what you’re capable of.”
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He paused before continuing, “ Maybe that’s why your family kept you in the dark. To see if your trip here to Korea can help prove that you’re ready for the truth.”
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“But I am ready!”
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“Are you?” Yujin asked quietly.
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“I don’t know!”
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For a moment, neither of us said anything.
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Then I sighed.
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“I’m sorry I didn’t make you feel any better.”
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“No, you actually did. In a way.”
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“Well then, I’m sorry I couldn’t help more?”
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡljIb9Vy9LH
“Stop apologising.”
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWBbwSM2SNI
“Sorry.”
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I grabbed one of the couch cushions and threw it at his face.
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Yujin yelped as it smacked him squarely in the nose.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOwsgoODAir
For the first time that day, I laughed without forcing it.
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And for the first time since leaving the café, the knot in my chest loosened—just a little.
*
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After talking to Yujin, I stayed in the living room while he went to the guest room to rest.
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Talking to him made me wonder.
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Did he go through the same training I did?
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Were his parents as strict as mine?
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Is he Korean or a citizen of Stellarion?
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What else could he do?
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Nope, enough questions for once.
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I took a deep breath and shut my eyes.
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The moment I did, I could hear someone emerging from the bathroom corridor.
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“Talia.”
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With my eyes still shut, I ignored my brother.
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“Talia, let’s talk. I know you’re awake.”
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I opened my eyes and fixed Damian with a glare, hoping he could see exactly how furious I was.
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He took a step towards me, but before he could come any closer, a knife lifted into the air from the knife block and drifted between us. The blade hovered silently, marking a distance that felt much larger than a few feet.
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAspuHxuBR7
“That’s far enough,” I said coldly.
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Damian's expression tightened as he stopped.
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“Talia, please. I just—”
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2DbjT1VyoU
“Want to say you’re sorry? Yeah, save it.”
“What the hell is going on here? Peanut?” Aunt Holly had a look of horror as she walked into the living room. “What are you doing?!”
14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7GWLFni2Oz
“Stay out of this, Aunt Holly!” I yelled.
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“Peanut, don’t be crazy! He’s your brother!”
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“I am not crazy! I have never been clearer. Now, sit.” I jerked my head to the opposite couch, gesturing for them to sit.
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“But—” Aunt Holly began.
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“I said sit.” I snapped back. I wasn’t having it today.
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As Damian and Aunt Holly sat cautiously on the couch, I tried to calm myself by reminding myself to control my emotions.
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Big fat help it was.
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The knife hovering between us trembled slightly.
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I clenched my fist and forced it to steady.
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Nobody spoke.
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Good.
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For once, I wanted them to listen.
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I pointed at Damian.
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"You first."
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"Talia—"
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"No." My voice came out sharper than I intended. "You don't get to start with my name. You don't get to start with an apology. And you definitely don't get to tell me you were protecting me."
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Damian immediately closed his mouth.
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“Have you been to Stellarion before?”
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Silence.
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My stomach dropped.
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"Answer me."
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"Yes."
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"How many times?"
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Damian hesitated.
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That was enough of an answer.
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"More than once?" I asked quietly.
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His silence stretched on.
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"Oh my god." I pinched my temples, unable to express any further anger than I already have.
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“It was only three times! And it was for…”
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Damian trailed off, his eyes flickering briefly toward Aunt Holly.
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“Was for what?”
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Silence ensued.
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Aunt Holly looked away, avoiding my gaze.
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My anger swelled up again. I could feel my power slipping out to the point that the coffee table was shaking.
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“Do you know how insane this sounds?" I asked. "I spent years trying to figure out why we had to go through what we went through. And all this time, you had every chance of telling me about all this.”
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I waved my hands in the air, exasperated.
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“You know what? I’m done. I’m leaving Korea tomorrow. Whatever this is, I’m done.”
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I turned around and headed towards my room, not forgetting to add one more thing for Damian.
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“I thought we were a team.”
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Before I could reach for the doorknob, Damian suddenly stood up.
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“You think I wanted this?”
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I froze and slowly turned around.
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“I told Mom and Dad, especially Dad, that I wanted to tell you everything. At least enough for you to know what’s going on. Every time you looked hurt because you found out that we’re keeping another secret from you, it broke my heart.”
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Damian strided across the living room towards me and held me by the shoulders.
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Looking into his eyes, I could see it. The guilt was eating him alive.
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“Talia. I want to tell you everything. I need you to know everything. And I know that you’re ready, no matter what other people say.”
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His eyes drifted towards Aunt Holly, who looked distraught.
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“So, I’ll tell you what. Tomorrow, we’ll go to the florist. There are a few things we need to work on first. But after that, you and I will have a long talk. Please?”
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Maybe it was because I didn’t say yes immediately, but Damian grabbed my right hand and placed it on his temple.
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“If you don’t believe me, you know what to do.”
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I furrowed my eyebrows.
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I knew he wasn’t lying.
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I didn’t need my powers to know that he was being sincere.
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So, I shook my head and put my lips into a thin line.
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Damian sighed in relief.
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“Thank you.”
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“But I swear to god, if you lie to me one more time, I will cut you like how we did when we were kids.”
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“Duly noted.”
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Then, Damian turned towards Aunt Holly and said, “This is happening. You’re not going to stop me?”
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“I tried to stop you for twenty years. I think I did a pretty good job.” Aunt Holly smiled and grabbed the knife still hovering in mid-air, putting it back in the knife block.
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“Peanut, I’m so sorry. I know you’re mad. I-I have nothing to say for myself. I acted according to your parents’ instructions without considering how you would feel. Will you please, please, forgive me?”
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“It’s going to take time,” I murmured.
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“Good enough for me.”
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