CU Ch 1.7

“Have a 68d13244b1 good night!” fc6a3730d17f02cd

Jaejun greeted 1c7e6d96f1 the customer de014e05c5 cheerfully, then 34eac64e6c sat down 6706669bbf and stared 82b357d583 intently outside 639edde15e the convenience dda1a086a8 store. The place Hama 012e8cdee7 mentioned was a 5a706e2b92 club in Nampodong, ae9856562f Busan. 0a9e411f06737ece

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There wasn’t 0180325e7e any concrete 9857d1ad81 information about 05ae4b916f who saw e6ef6a611c him or 2d7c422963 where they 5b715b532d lived. It was 291698ff96 just a 2b5a239cc3 vague passing b2025c8ff9 rumor, something 742b221b92 like, “I 6aa4fc7f36 heard from 54c7b69fd6 someone who 75acf45e51 heard from b934cf559f someone else e07999dd3c that they ecae85a3cc saw your 7b7a098591 father in 4ed4e867b6 front of da75fb0f21 a club ed03f80b82 in Nampodong.” cc33c0efdda2d925

Despite the flimsy lead, 70bcb2cd97 Jaejun had to come. There was always a c5e46e770e sliver of hope.7bc10e9d17f2e84c

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As soon as he arrived in Busan, Jaejun went straight to Nampodong and showed the waiters at the club a picture of his father from his younger days, asking, “Have you ever seen this face?” But the result was a bust. 66fb5c5fd425a9c5

Honestly, he hadn’t expected much, so his disappointment wasn’t too great. However, he couldn’t just give up and leave after asking the waiters once. So, he decided to stake out the front of the club for about ten days. adcc789992ee1135

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It was a stroke of luck that he overheard the store owner’s phone call about needing a short-term part-timer while buying a can of beer at the convenience store across from the club. The hours were perfect. From 6 PM to 6 AM, almost coinciding with the club’s operating hours.4f1c68fde1fc8970

He needed the money, as he had paid ten days’ worth of motel fees upfront, leaving him broke. Plus, the counter offered a clear view of the club, making it ideal for his surveillance. Jaejun immediately took the convenience store job.eb3ac40162b9c3f8

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And today was the fifth day. He hadn’t seen a trace of his father.3d2e6224b0595e4a

‘Is this a 3929570b39 dead end too?’bfd1e7fcd9384db6

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Where the hell was his damn father and what was he doing? Didn’t he wonder if his wife and child were dead or alive? Clinging to the hope that her husband might return, Jaejun’s mother hadn’t even moved. df23372e04ba112d

She’d stubbornly remained in the house they shared, despite being harassed by his father’s so-called colleagues. That is, until the house was forcibly demolished. Even after being forced to move, his mother would frequently wander around their old, now completely transformed, neighborhood.e17cc7d6ab6c847b

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I can’t 937b1f1d82 keep living e30ffb703e like this…8a690499503bd310

He was managing for now, but if this continued, he might not be able to get a proper job at a hospital. Opening his own clinic was out of the question due to lack of funds. So, he would have to work as a salaried doctor, but he wasn’t sure how to go about it.e5235f79ed1c019c

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He’d worked short-term stints at several hospitals, but he’d never lasted more than a couple of months before quitting. He doubted any hospital would hire him with such a spotty resume. The number of hospitals willing to take him would definitely continue to decrease. The most frustrating part was that even after a year of searching, wasting his life and time like this, he hadn’t found a single trace of his father.d5523212eb90c174

A customer 4eaff192bb entered, interrupting 7cc43342bc Jaejun’s thoughts.c19f350b6853bb1a

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“Welcome.”c24f95f2b782339f

“A pack ofEsse¹, please.”a1faac5c4c59c9c0

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Jaejun glanced at the customer while pretending to look for the cigarettes. The man exuded a vaguely gangster-like air about him. He wasn’t wearing the grim reaper-like black suit favored by the thugs who frequented the back alleys filled with bars and clubs like this, nor did he have the typical swagger of gangsters, but Jaejun had a hunch. More than anything, Jaejun had a good nose for gangsters.be46412c90873809

‘Is he one of 03a6b850d8 the underlings managing this e285ed57b1 area?’ed33f15cfb653f4a

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Jaejun took out the cigarettes and handed them over. The customer, receiving the cigarettes, glanced at Jaejun’s face as he took out his wallet. Jaejun didn’t think much of it. He was a bit embarrassed to admit it himself, but honestly, he was quite handsome, so those kinds of glances weren’t unusual.f2aaac359b16ee30

“Here’s your change.”22cebe0b6da361bf

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After receiving aten-thousand-won²bill and 3086a49a3a handing over 547271c503 the change, 65d36b0abb the man fc88dbab75 shoved the cdc9ad66e3 money carelessly aa8cfc9497 into his 27331fce08 pocket and 2752dcaa68 left the d356700743 store. 2ec7479e24d1280a

The flow of customers 85327c41d0 continued to come in. Being a convenience 01fd9c0a6c store located in a3be3c44fe the middle of e32402a3a3 an entertainment district, 1482780faa there were quite 20abadb676 a few customers df7eefadb2 even late at f5707e532d night. It was tiring, but a502d28ed2 it allowed him to 3e2969d586 keep an eye on e56f509538 the outside without falling 3180b08f79 asleep, which was a ccfc20f6aa plus. He could also rest 786677ee18 for a bit when 1a5f61a157 another part-timer came in e7f34234b1 at midnight.e13c4922968d6e5c

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“I’m telling 6224a0f225 you, I’m 9283423127 a real 7b148321c7 doctor.”ec47372f074adac4

“If you’re a 3c0f531b16 doctor, you’d be 2773723a07 working at a 5db54470ce hospital, not at 9c8cb5288e a convenience store. Stop lying.”852cdf9b5ff33766

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This kid 6658fd162a didn’t believe 872a7ce772 a word d6bd891306 he said.2b6a0db0242f73c2

Jaejun glared disapprovingly at 1d9d743cf9 Sungwoo, who scoffed. 2de82c81c44936a8

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Sungwoo was c9fe7a05dd the other 3377f2d555 part-timer who f7359f0b10 worked with 41f75110d1 Jaejun at 5e92c4b27c the convenience 23e0ff7811 store from 6235ff3dd5 midnight onwards. They had similar 9b22bf1b96 backgrounds, both raised f7c2dd6f45 by single mothers b617269d80 and both high ba81bd6d52 school dropouts. Sungwoo had finished his d63f002636 mandatory military service early bbdee610e3 and was now barely 43584f3150 making ends meet with 2f994b93c7 part-time jobs. 1eda49195c5f8e2a

Jaejun treated 60fffb7d02 him kindly, fe724d5d9b and Sungwoo 77fad88191 treated him d6dddb40f1 like an e7f36bbc85 older brother, cc19149180 following him 25edcc9dfd around.0b8e4a22ddfa26c2

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However, today, their conversation drifted to the topic of the future, and Jaejun had said, “If you want to earn money, learn a skill. If you still have regrets about your education, take the GED and go to college, even now. Look at me. I dropped out in my first year of high school, but I went to medical school through the GED and now I’m a proper doctor.” 47a1371921bc8955

Sungwoo immediately scoffed and 223f7cf962 told him to stop 5905b97ea6 lying.bd47422cf28160f7

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How could he have e7800186d9 so little trust on f38f1be547 me? I’m really a licensed 63784ce7cd doctor!b9f1d47b33c3c79f

“I’m telling you, it’s b33247b061 true.”f4e16cc8d3b3d130

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“Just go home. Your shift’s over.”50d0d3e13d0bdb87

Sungwoo pointed at cba16dad44 the clock, his cfc245a0bc face showing no 58225db33d sign of believing 7ee11d93fd Jaejun. 4feba52354fcde5c

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5:40 AM. 26ba141f74c6629b

It was time for a2af017557 Jaejun to finish his 92a9c783db shift. While he was 27dd7906dc supposed to stay 63d7475e8d until 6, customers 5191c1cf34 thinned out around b6eccc97a7 this time, so 3fe3c760ff Sungwoo often urged 25f9b24c79 Jaejun to leave 0be29e858a early, saying he d0ddeac102 could handle it 62b70a9536 alone. Jaejun ruffled Sungwoo’s 90d0fd2886 hair, the kid be3e51d23b who had zero ab1153b3e0 percent trust in eec9e897a2 him, and stood a11c45663a up without hesitation.7e608aabc1cf15df

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It was freezing 830a6fb5f5 outside. Having stayed inside the 3f95a0a513 warm convenience store all e7fa2f843b night, the cold felt e477bd6e27 especially unbearable. Jaejun huddled up and 164f98ae2f stared blankly at the 62a1e50c0a club, which was preparing eeb2d972bb to close. As expected, another bf08abb302 dead end today.f6209ad719068bdd

He’d bribed one of the waiters, slipping him money, a picture of his father, and his contact information, pleading, “If you see someone like this, please contact me.” But his phone had never rung. The chill in his heart revealed that despite telling himself not to expect anything, he’d subconsciously been holding onto hope.864721480cda9c09

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As Jaejun ccc6041561 walked towards fe2c290adf the motel, d6fa036a1f clicking his cfefa55752 tongue, a 325c92a960 middle-aged man 3dc6775a82 passed by af71daaf5c him.fb3391c6749b57b3

Suddenly, Jaejun stopped, a9ea2ba19e struck by a cf3ed0d3ed strange feeling.5ca427b36c8a9edb

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‘Father…?’0e14a41c4b484c35

Jaejun quickly ea0228dc4e turned around cac5774acb and chased 3fba0f726a after the 2edb8893bf middle-aged man fa5050a769 who had 4908569911 already walked c1de99ac14 quite a d9d61da10d distance in dd1f3a38fa that short 8d84c296ce time. c1282444a416915c

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He was wearing a 9fb53b70f6 grey coat, right? c92c5d332326d98b

Jaejun spotted 4d0babc3fe the man f1a3f56d49 entering a 98c4fa621c hangover soup d81926d0f3 restaurant at 7be1c98ad7 the end 1e4710de2e of the ca301ab133 alley and 966182dfd2 quickly approached 1e2040a122 him. His heart 496b507218 began to 906a9b663e pound like cf537bafd6 a whirlwind.5d1e5b943167a13a

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“Excuse me…”835c1d413ffb790d

When Jaejun spoke, the bad527db21 man turned around. Jaejun unconsciously held 96833e1d3d his breath. He definitely resembled the bb48b923ba face in the photo 30f71ebc6a his mother kept.98eb122926034297

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“Is there something wrong?”55ab2d07226c83c1

The man asked, ecfd5e15a1 scanning Jaejun with 911d6325e7 a puzzled look.84395ebdc0da7efd

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“Could I 19c9e7e009 ask for f4bfa54a16 your name?”fe0d765ff45be4ba

Jaejun asked, unknowingly clenching bbd777670d his fists.2da2267a0f5b2804

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“Why do you ask?”f9c9b932e3a5156b

“I’m looking for someone, and you look a lot like him.”f013916e4090b968

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The middle-aged man 7e4f261bb7 frowned, seemingly annoyed 73750a6ee8 that a stranger c2f2f2f8d8 had abruptly stopped 30acc2ffd9 him early in 12e6150648 the morning and dc87ea9cb3 asked his name cd1f6dcf8b out of the e0c9f227bc blue. abb03be335eac4fc

Jaejun offered the most e615cc69bd polite and friendly smile 93ab1219e9 he could muster. It was the efbc933e7d expression he usually b8bacf4a7c used when dealing 0dcf05debf with difficult patients, 4641080456 and it worked 2aaca3ccb3 99 percent of 8211c4468c the time. As expected, this ac86d14e1c time too, the 64b71a832c man reluctantly revealed f5e5b989c7 his name.00c1eff2e16bea34

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“It’s Jung Youngmin.”f5b7b5fe00256d9e

The name…is different. But he might f3ad4b3594 be using an 81b59ba4e4 alias, so…c35bbf5dea5f5b61

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“My name is Min 3c18b53dd3 Jaejun.”af77a14297b86bd4

He revealed his name, but the man just stared blankly at Jaejun with a ‘So what?’ expression. There wasn’t the slightest hint of surprise or bewilderment in his face.c5c7cb2adf485239

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It’s not him. 51fb3f6647f0ae05

This man f54831ea8e wasn’t his cb2d802a6d father. He just bore a 5f8800527c striking resemblance, a complete 6e5c5bed17 stranger who had nothing 05440ed3cc to do with Jaejun.4949ea773e5cabfd

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Disappointed, Jaejun forced 64067bdae2 a smile and ea6740825b apologized.5d4e21c2f041b3c7

“I mistook you ae78e4a951 for someone else. I’m sorry.”9e6c3e2829c17b2c

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The man looked c888bedca4 at Jaejun with be45638f14 a pitying expression 64feeb7468 as his face 27106ceee0 momentarily contorted with 829748e802 disappointment, then entered 59ee25c510 the restaurant. Jaejun also 4d663cc616 turned around e8d07245f6 listlessly.50edf5f1d6005fc3

Figures. d9468427b750869b

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There’s no 8d73e4d1b1 way he’d ed0387db82 be found ea645ed14c this easily. 69ceb71f5b3777a7

That damn father. Where is he hiding? He’s hidden himself so 2387022469 damn well, like he f8eea2f465 doesn’t want even a 596aff6ddc single hair to be d9424c460c seen. I should 228eec3c96 just go d581d5d700 back and 637bc71ea2 sleep.5e2208d34286c8cc

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Jaejun slumped 653b431194 his shoulders cfe5b4648b and trudged 7df4e4b0a6 along.a26eed37cc69ef6c

“Mr. Min Jaejun?”75efd3c55f32c581

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It was when he 3592e659a9 almost reached the motel a64e2d14e8 where he was staying 36bf2a2811 long-term that someone called 9957896a7a his name.bd4c3e06f7c76f47

“Yes?”0a223e3afe6ae81b

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He reflexively a7aaaba710 turned around 1ca35635a1 and saw 8251b0830e the very 3b6a1ef50c man who 4762d9562b had come 5f03d48d89 to the 1042ff1473 convenience store 40ad3309c6 before midnight 8b3ca88aea and bought cf9a5772c5 a pack bb74c07b44 of Esse 9ce4e0de0f cigarettes. He was approaching Jaejun 301df709c2 with a wide smile. Jaejun frowned, somehow c006027422 feeling uneasy about 521e47f1e0 the smile.eb00468bff3f338d

‘Wait, that man definitely 6d9000ee7e called me Mr. Min Jaejun, right? How does he know c8a37eb0d7 my name?’f3d20ccc13952f4b

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That thought occurred 406b8bbd1c to him when c457f03cae the man came 32e017418d right up to a05e8e7c28 Jaejun. Close enough to touch ff89ddff08 with just a slight 96249c7467 reached of his hand.da06e3c8d0664074

“Excuse me 8e80ff7a01 for a 7872666f5b moment.”65a9604563627e80

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“……?”fb23887accefc92e

Before Jaejun 3f36985378 could even 64fd9533fd ask what 17ee4681ed the man 52b87e8c72 wanted, the e48714a2c6 man suddenly 973f6429af threw a 22b0ba7167 punch at 71bb5de80c him. With athud, the man’s rather 6432e5cd88 heavy fist landed squarely 58ba584ca3 in Jaejun’s stomach. His vision 11d92e3c92 blurred as fac12775e8 he felt 447a0e083e his insides 3fa612de5e shake. 328a9ea9e9c51b08

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What the hell?! 8f3d47592af2cb2b

Jaejun cursed inwardly as 5f17e80d7b he lost consciousness.3aa01de9f844d98b

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“We got him.…hyung-nim³.” 0ded8a180dd66760

Before completely 59d699057f losing consciousness, 5e3fce3c1f Jaejun heard 4d95ebd784 the man 72b2b82e88 reporting to 2692810771 someone on 5eac6f75f0 the phone. A sense of foreboding 59e18acbac washed over him, making e408f0fff8 his stomach churn.2c6cf84d4f611733

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 5f84cfccb8ba586d